


An Engaging Situation

by Dextrousleftie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Computer Programming, Costume Kink, Fluff, Gay Marriage, Gay Sex, Love, Lust, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 23:18:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6398296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dextrousleftie/pseuds/Dextrousleftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to The Troubleshooter - Sirius and Severus are on vacation, and Sirius proposes to Severus. Will he accept? Will the two of them live happily ever after? Wait and see!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Severus Snape padded barefoot down a white sand beach, turning his face up to the sun as he strolled along. He could feel the heat of the sand through his soles, and a warm tropical breeze lifted his short dark hair. This, he mused silently to himself, had been a wonderful holiday so far. Even his sallow skin had a slight tan, although he’d burned at first even through the sunblock he always wore. His lover, Sirius Black, was now a bronzed god who attracted the attention of both men and women wherever he went. Snape’s mouth twisted a little at this thought. It was very hard not to be jealous over all of the attention that Sirius garnered, especially since he could understand completely. The troubleshooter was gorgeous, buff and tanned, with a mane of long dark hair and a handsome, sensual face. And of course there was the further intriguing fact of the tattoos and piercings that gave Sirius Black the dangerous edge that attracted people in droves. Everyone loved the bad boy, after all. Never mind that Sirius never showed any interest in the gawkers who ogled him; it was still difficult for Snape. He found himself becoming very possessive of his lover. He didn’t want anyone else to look at Sirius Black at all. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen…

 

He sighed in quiet acceptance of the facts. People would always look at and admire Sirius Black. That shouldn’t matter as long as he wanted to be with Severus Snape, and not those others. Perhaps the real problem was that he had no idea why someone as fabulous as his lover was interested in him. He’d never understood it. He wasn’t handsome, or erudite, or charming. Nor was he a people person – in point of fact, he loathed most people and was very anti-social. He could be bitingly sarcastic, even to the man he loved. Sirius always laughed and teased him when he did that, but sometimes Severus wondered why the other man put up with him at all. Sirius Black could have anyone he wanted at all. So why did he want someone like Snape? It was a total mystery to him. 

 

He could see the large white hotel where they were staying in the distance. It was almost on the beach, and all he’d have to do was walk up some steps. He found his momentary depression lifting as the beauty of the day intruded once more. He could see a person parasailing out over the water, and he wondered if it might be Sirius. His lover had done just about every dangerous thing that could be done on the island in the two weeks they’d been here. Everything from surfboarding to scuba diving, while Snape had watched in silent terror. He’d finally given up going with Sirius when he did these things, because Severus just couldn’t stand it anymore. He didn’t want to try any of them himself, and seeing Sirius gleefully risk his life was too much for him. Snape knew his lover was an adrenaline junky, but that didn’t mean he had to watch… 

 

There was still plenty to do that wasn’t risky and dangerous, and Severus had found plenty to occupy himself with these last few weeks. He’d even gone to a computer expo being held at one of the large downtown hotels. There he’d browsed the latest technology, considering whether he should use some of the hundred and fifty thousand pounds that he’d been paid for helping to catch the people embezzling money from his former employers to be an early adapter. He’d come back to the hotel laden with bags, much to Sirius’s amusement. But the other man loved computers as well, and had poked through Snape’s bags eagerly to see what he’d gotten. He had the sneaking suspicion that he’d never see his new mini I-pad again, since Sirius had been quite interested in it.

 

They’d waited until Snape’s bullet wound was fully healed before they’d gone on holiday together, since if he was feeling weak and tired all the time he wouldn’t have enjoyed it. To his surprise, it had been two months before he'd really started feeling better. He’d been very grateful that Sirius had waited on him hand and foot during that time, seeing to all of his needs and finding things for him to do when he would have expired from sheer boredom. A wi fi gaming laptop had found its way into the bedroom in the first week after he’d moved into Sirius’s flat, and when he felt well enough to move about the place, he’d discovered an Alienware pc in the study. Being wise about him and his anti-social nature, Sirius discreetly got lost for at least a few hours every day so that Snape could work in peace without distractions. He’d return laden with bags of food or with yummy take-out for their dinner, kissing his lover tenderly as though they’d been apart for days instead of a few hours.

 

Snape found himself adjusting to his new life with ease. While he did miss his job sometimes, he could still write code at home in him and Sirius’s flat. And that’s how he’d come to think of it, as home. He’d given up the lease on his old flat at Sirius’s urging, although it hadn’t taken much persuasion on the other man’s part. He found that he just liked pottering about the flat with Sirius, making tea or watching a movie together. Or having sex – lots and lots of sex. Once he’d recovered enough to be an enthusiastic participant, the two of them had had sex in every room of the flat (The kitchen table would never be the same). They never worried about finding something to do to combat boredom, that was sure.

 

He’d come home one day a few weeks ago from a doctor’s appointment to find Sirius packing his bags in the bedroom. For a moment he’d felt a spurt of instinctive fear – was his lover finally tired of him? But the tall man had looked up at him when he'd come through the door, and the grey eyes had been shining with excitement and happiness. “Hey, Sev!” he’d chirped happily, sounding not at all like a man who was about to give his lover the boot. “Guess what? Guess where we’re going?” He’d straightened up, turning to snag two plane tickets off the bedside table. He’d turned back to Snape with these held enticingly up in his hand. “Now that you’re feeling better, I thought we should take that holiday. So I made all of the arrangements, and we’ll be flying to Hawaii tomorrow.”

 

Snape had stared at the tickets, feeling such relief go through him that his knees had nearly gone weak. But he’d mustered up a glare for his tall lover, pointing out dryly: "Thank you very much for asking me my preferences on the matter, Black.”

 

Sirius had visibly wilted, looking like a little boy being scolded by his mum. “Well, I just wanted it to be a surprise,” he’d said in a rather small voice. “I thought you’d love going someplace warm and tropical, someplace romantic. But if you don’t want to go…” 

 

He’d sounded so forlorn that Severus had felt a shaft of guilt lance through him. “Of course I would like to go,” he’d replied. “I just would have preferred that we make the decision about our destination together. You know I don’t really care for surprises, Black,” he’d added as gently as was possible for him. 

 

The tall man had nodded. “Yes, I knew that. Sorry. I promise in future that I’ll always consult you, Sev. Okay?” 

 

Snape had accepted this promise, knowing that his lover would keep it. They’d flown to Hawaii to spend three weeks in the sun, and so far two of those weeks had passed by in a (mostly) tranquil time that had left Snape in a good mood. He finally reached the steps leading up to the hotel, and heard a familiar voice hail him from the top of them: “Sev!” he looked up to see Sirius beginning to descend toward him, the tall man looking very pleased with himself. That expression made Snape wary, since whenever it appeared it meant that Sirius Black was up to something. 

 

“Hello, Black,” he replied. 

“Did you have a good walk?” The tall man asked as he reached the bottom of the steps.

 

Snape nodded. “Great. I got a present for you, Sev. I’ve been waiting for you to come back so that I can give it to you.” 

 

Snape lifted his brows slightly. He wondered just what kind of gift it was to put that rather smug expression on Sirius’s face. “What is it?” he asked cautiously.

 

The tall man tssked. “You needn't look at me as though you expect it be a serpent or something,” he chided his lover amiably. “Come on, Sev, let’s go someplace a bit more private.” 

 

He grabbed Snape’s hand, and dragged the other man off down the beach toward a stand of palm trees nearby. Severus started to protest being manhandled, but in the end he gave up and just went with the flow. When Sirius was intent on something there was very little he could do to talk the other man out of it. Reaching the trees, Sirius drew his lover with him into the shadows under them where nobody could easily see them. Then he turned to Snape, looking rather nervous all of a sudden. Studying his face, Severus wondered just what was going on. He opened his mouth to ask, but Sirius forestalled him by plunging his hand into the pocket of his light-weight jacket and pulling out a large white box. He held it in his hand, which he extended toward Severus Snape. “Here,” he said, and Snape was startled to hear that his voice was shaking a little bit.

 

“What is it?” Snape asked, taking the box from his hand. 

 

He started to open it as Sirius answered him. “It’s jewelry,” he said rather cheekily, making Snape blink.

 

“Jewelry?” he repeated incredulously. “Since when do I wear jewelry, Black?” 

 

Sirius nodded. “I know, but I think you might wear this particular jewelry,” he replied. “Go on, open it before I go crazy,” he waved at the box, and Snape reluctantly slid the top off of it.

 

Inside the box, in a nest of cotton, he saw a length of silver chain. A necklace of some kind, then. At least it wasn’t gold; Snape hated men who wore gold jewelry. He took a hold of the chain and began to pull it out of the box. Sirius watched him closely, seeming to be holding his breath. Snape wondered why. The last of the chain was lifted up, and he saw that there was a circle of silver at the end of it. It looked like – a ring? Puzzled, he used his fingertips to lift the ring and look more closely at it. It was a mostly plain band, except for the top which had a pattern of diamond shapes done in onyx chips and tiny diamonds. He frowned. “Why a ring on a chain, Black?” he asked, looking up at his lover in puzzlement.

 

Sirius grinned. “I just thought that you could wear it around your neck until you decide to put it on your finger, Sev,” he replied easily.

 

Black brows drew down a bit. “Put it on my finger? I don’t understand.” Severus said. 

 

Sirius nodded at the ring that his lover still held in his hand. “That’s an engagement ring, Sev,” he explained. Severus felt his breath leave his body in as gasp of shock. 

 

“Are you saying…?” he began weakly. 

 

The tall man nodded. “I’d be the happiest man in the world if you’d consent to marry me, Severus Snape,” he said formally. But then he dropped this solemn air and went on more practically: “But I know that you’re not ready yet. You need time to adjust to the idea. So I thought that you could wear the ring around your neck until you’re ready to say ‘yes’.” 

 

“And just what makes you think that I’ll ever say that?” Snape demanded. 

 

Sirius smiled dazzlingly. “Because I know you, Sev. Eventually you’ll come round. I just have to be patient,” his grey eyes gleamed.

 

Snape sighed, looking at the ring once again. He had an entire flock of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach at the moment. “If you’ve bought me an engagement ring, does that mean that you consider me to be the woman in our relationship?” He asked sharply.

 

Sirius stuck his hands in his pockets casually. “Of course not, Sev. I thought that you’d like to pick out a ring for me yourself. And I’ll wear it on a chain around my neck until you say yes, then I’ll put it on too. We can go to the jewelers this afternoon if you like.” 

 

Snape felt rather dizzy. “I…” he looked at the ring again. “I’m not ready to make such a decision, Black…” 

 

The tall man made an assenting gesture with his head. “As I said, that’s why I thought you could wear it about your neck for awhile. Just get used to the idea, Sev, before you make your decision. No one need see it there except for me, so you won’t even have to explain to anybody why you’re wearing a ring around your neck on a chain.” 

 

Silence. Then Snape slowly lifted the chain and draped it over his neck, tucking it into the front of his long-sleeved white shirt. The metal of the ring felt cold against his skin for a moment, and then warmed to his body temperature. Sirius watched him with approving eyes, a small smile on his face. He stepped forward and gathered his lover up in his arms, kissing Snape’s mouth hungrily. Severus returned the favor, his hands rising to close over Sirius’s neck as they snogged ferociously right there in the open. Snape forgot for the moment that anyone could have come along and seen the two men making out among the trees.

 

 

Later, long filmy white curtain lifted in the tropical breeze and blew into the large room beyond. On the massive bed, two figures were busily engaged in the oldest of past-times. A moan drifted through the room, answered by an echoing gasp. “Ahh, Sev,” Sirius Black cried, driving slowly into the tight body crouched on the bed in front of him. He gripped his lover’s hips hard enough to leave bruises, his head going back a little. 

 

Around his neck, a silver chain swung with each of his thrusts. The ring that Snape had picked out for him dangled from the chain, a silver band with a geometric pattern done in gold and platinum. Sirius had approved of it greatly, because it showed that Severus understood his tastes and likes intimately. When it lightly hit his chest, he felt its weight and was happy. Severus Snape would come around in time, this ring proved it. 

 

Snape moaned, his back arching, sweat shimmering on his skin as he gripped at the bedspread under his hands tightly. He pushed backward with his hips to meet each of Sirius’s thrusts, and the ring around his neck swayed with each movement. He stared blindly at the little silver circle, but he forgot any interest in anything else when a hand slid down to close over his erection and pump him sharply. He came with a wild cry, spurting out over those caressing fingers. He dimly heard Sirius’s groan as his lover reached orgasm as well, and half-fell across his back for a moment. 

 

Encased by that powerful form, feeling the aftershocks of pleasure still coursing through his body, Severus Snape felt a strong urge to take off the necklace and slip the ring onto his finger right here and now. But no…not just yet. He really wasn’t ready to make that commitment. But at least he knew that Sirius was ready to patiently wait until he WAS ready, and he felt a great surge of love rise up inside of him for the man who was currently kissing his shoulder blades tenderly. What had he ever done to deserve someone so wonderful? He closed his eyes and relaxed completely, a smile spreading over his face as he basked in both the afterglow and the love of the man holding him close.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A serpent enters Snape's paradise. What will he do?

Snape heard a familiar voice calling to him as he made his way out of the gate at Heathrow. Sirius was on his heels, and both men looked over to see a lovely red-haired woman waving to them, along with a tall man with rather mussed black hair and a grin on his face. Snape smiled at his friend Lily Potter, and Sirius returned the grin on the face of HIS friend James Potter. Even though their friends were married to each other, the two men weren’t terribly close to their friends’ spouses. Sirius was still a tad wary of Lily’s hold on Sev’s heart, since she’d been his greatest obstacle to gaining his lover’s affections. And Snape still couldn’t bring himself to like James, even though he and Lily were very happy together. They each tolerated their lover’s friend, but it could sometimes be an awkward situation.

 

It was made easier, however, by the fact that a pair of their mutual friends were at the airport to meet them as well. Over the last few months, Snape had come to like Remus Lupin and his wife Dora very much. The two of them were standing right beside James and Lily, and Dora was grinning at them both. She held her son Teddy in her arms, and the little boy was looking at the two men with solemn brown eyes as they approached the small party. But when Sirius made a face at him, the toddler broke into giggles and held out his arms. Dora passed her son to the tall man, saying merrily: “He missed his Uncle Sirius while you were gone.” 

 

“And I missed him,” Sirius replied, lifting the boy high in his arms and making fish faces at him until the toddler broke out in peals of laughter.

 

“Si Si!” he cried, clapping his hands together. This made Sirius chuckle and Snape shook his head as he turned to speak to his friends.

 

Mentally his lover was about the same age as the boy he was playing with, he thought in affectionate exasperation as Lily spoke to him excitedly: “Sev! You look great! You even have a tan!” she marveled, her green eyes sparkling. “How do you feel?” she asked next in concern. 

 

He smiled at her. “I feel great,” he replied, meaning it. “We had a marvelous holiday,” he felt the weight of the ring around his neck as he said this, although he wasn’t going to mention it even to her. Not just yet, anyway. It was still too new and strange to him as yet.

 

“Wonderful! James and I missed you guys while you were gone,” she said happily. Her husband’s lips twitched when she used the plural, but he didn’t try to correct her. He didn’t dislike her friend exactly – and he did seem to make Sirius very happy for some reason. So he wasn’t going to rock the boat in any way, especially when his feelings weren’t that strong either way where Severus Snape was concerned.

 

The whole chattering group left the airport together, Sirius still carrying Teddy. He’d produced the toys he’d bought for the little scamp while they were in Hawaii, and Teddy was happily playing with them. Dora laughed silently, because it was a rather amusing sight to see such a large, muscular man, and one who most resembled a biker, cooing over a small child like the veriest woman. It delighted her that Sirius was so good with her son, especially since Teddy really liked his honorary uncle (and godfather). 

 

Remus took her elbow, smiling at his wife. “Don’t get any ideas, Dora,” he chided her very softly. “Even if Sirius wanted to adopt a child, something tells me that Sev would veto that idea. He doesn’t strike me as someone who likes children.” 

 

Dora sighed as she had to admit that he was right. And knowing how Sirius Black felt about Severus Snape, it would most definitely have to be a joint decision between the couple. Ah, well. Sirius would still have Teddy, and any children that Lily and James might have, to spoil and coddle as much as he wanted.

 

The group made their way to the parking lot, where Remus’s car was waiting. It was a beautiful restored antique Rolls Royce Silver Phantom, that was the only thing that Remus had inherited from his father. His now impoverished family had once been barons, but had had to sell off most of their lands and possessions after Word War II when Remus’s imprudent great grandfather had bankrupted them with his compulsive gambling and a series of bad investments. Remus, who was technically the fifteenth Baron, had only the empty title and the car. Of those two things, the car was the far more cherished possession. 

 

Everyone fit in it nicely, for the vehicle was the size of a small boat. Sirius and Severus shared the wide back seat, while Lily and James sat on the one facing them. Remus and Dora were in the front, with Teddy in his carrier. Lily was chattering away still to Severus, wanting to knew every detail of their holiday. He answered her patiently, but Sirius noticed that he didn’t say anything about the rings that both men now sported on chains about their necks. He frowned a little to himself. He’d much rather that Snape were showing off the engagement ring to his friend, so that she could squeal in delight and ask him when the wedding was going to take place. He’d counted on her support to help him get Snape to say ‘yes’, but if Severus were going to be reticent…he sighed a little. 

 

He couldn’t just show off his own ring, that wouldn’t be fair to his lover. He’d told Sev that he was going to get all of the time he needed to make up his mind. Showing HIS ring to Lily Potter would be a form of coercion that he was pretty sure wouldn’t sit well at all with Severus Snape. Making the man he loved mad at this delicate stage of things wouldn’t be wise at all. Sev might never say ‘yes’ if he were angry enough. And he was a very, very stubborn man, as Sirius had come to know over the last few months. The best thing to do when you wanted to get Severus Snape to do something was to back off and let him make up his own mind – or at least make it look like that’s what you were doing, anyway.

 

He could sometimes be manipulated into doing things, but only when he chose to allow himself to be. So one part of his plan went down the drain, Sirius thought with another internal sigh. He’d just have to come up with something else. Still, he could be both clever and sly when he wanted to be, and right now he most definitely wanted to be. There was nothing else that Sirius Black wanted more in the world right now than to talk Severus Snape into marrying him. He wanted the surly programmer who’d stolen his heart to wear his wedding ring, to proclaim to the world that Snape belonged to Sirius Black. He knew that he was very possessive of his lover, but he couldn’t help himself. He adored his Sev. And while the other man didn’t often verbalize his own feelings, Sirius could look into those expressive ebony eyes and see just how Severus Snape felt about him. 

 

Speaking of – he glanced sideways at his lover, who was answering yet another of Lily’s eager questions. The black eyes were soft and mellow, and he loved to see them that way. This holiday had been a very good idea. Sev was not only fully recovered from his gun shot wound, but he was also relaxed and happy. Sirius liked to see his lover this way, for odd as it might have seemed he was a caretaker. Sirius loved having someone to pamper and adore, and Sev was coming to appreciate his efforts. 

 

He suddenly reached out and set his fingers over the other man’s, making Snape jump a little. He got a blast of rather outraged ebony for doing this is public, which made Lily giggle and Sirius grin unrepentantly. He stroked the long fingers under his tenderly, and Snape finally gave up and returned to his conversation with Lily. Her emerald eyes were sparkling, and James had had to look away to conceal his own grin since he knew that Snape didn’t like him very much.

 

 

Remus drove deftly through the late afternoon traffic, headed for his house. He and Dora planned to serve dinner to their friends, since they rather figured that Sirius and Severus wouldn’t be up to cooking after enduring the long plane ride. And they all wanted to catch up with the news, although frankly Lily was doing a great job of wringing every last detail about the trip out of poor Snape. He pulled up in front of their townhouse, and everybody got out except for Remus. He drove the Silver Phantom around to the mews and the garage where he stored it in back of the house.

 

Dora led the way into the house, carrying an excited Teddy. They all went into the sitting room, Sirius and Sev leaving their luggage in the hall closet for now until they took a taxi home to their flat. Dora sat her son on one of the couches with a pat on his bottom. “Sit there for a moment, darling, while Mummy gets you some juice,” she told him.

 

He grinned toothlessly and bounced on the cushion as she made for the kitchen to get drinks for everyone. Sirius took the seat next to the boy to make sure that Teddy didn’t throw himself head-long off of it and smash his skull on the parquet flooring. Snape sat down beside him, but on the side away from the baby. Remus had pegged him neatly – while he was not a people person, he was most DEFINITELY not a baby person. He loathed children, in point of fact. They were loud, irritating, grimy little creatures, who tended to clutch at one with sticky hands at every opportunity. He was happy to leave Sirius to the baby-minding, since his lover seemed to actually like the little horror for some odd reason.

 

Across the way, Lily was silently laughing at the expression on her friend’s face. She thought to herself rather wryly that she’d have to look elsewhere for a godfather for any babies that she and James might have. She smiled as she touched her own abdomen a bit. She was beginning to suspect that she’d have to look for that godfather quite soon. She hadn’t told James yet, because she still wasn’t totally sure. She intended to visit the doctor very soon to find out. Her face glowed at this thought, for she couldn’t wait to have a baby.

 

Remus entered the sitting room, having come in through the tradesman’s entrance in the back. He strolled over and scooped his son up in his arms, making Teddy squeal happily. “Come here, you little devil,” the brown-haired man said affectionately.

 

Teddy squirmed in his arms, and he sighed as he got a firmer hold on the boy. “He’s becoming more than a handful,” he added to Sirius, who grinned. 

 

“What did you expect, old son, with Dora as a mum?” he teased his friend. 

 

Remus shook his head at this quip, smiling, as a voice said from the doorway. “Hey! I leave for a moment and he slanders my good name!” Dora swept into the room with a tray of drinks, eyeing her tall friend with a look of mock-anger on her face.

 

He held up his hands placatingly. “I’m just saying that Teddy’s a lively little chap because his Mum is very…errr…energetic,” he said tactfully, making her laugh.

 

“A very good save,” she remarked as she set the tray on the coffee table. She walked over to retrieve Teddy from her husband, kissing Remus lightly as she did so. She set the baby on her hip as she plopped down to sit next to Sirius. “Hand me that juice cup, will you Sirius?” she asked, and the tall man did as she requested. Dora began to help Teddy sip the juice out of the cup as her friends got drinks from the tray for themselves. 

 

But they were interrupted by the front bell, which Remus went to answer. They heard him talking to someone, and then he returned to the sitting room with another man in tow. “Sirius, Severus,” he said to the men sitting next to his wife, “I’d like you both to meet David Straetharn. He owns a fairly prosperous law firm, and he called me a week or so ago to ask me about you both. Apparently he’s having trouble with his computers, and he needs a troubleshooter. I told him you were on holiday, of course, but now that you’re back he’s hoping that you’ll take his case.”

 

The man standing behind Remus smiled in greeting at the two men. He could do that, since he had a good four inches on the slender, middling-height accountant. He was very well-dressed, and if that suit wasn’t a hand-made Armani Sirius would eat his own motorcycle helmet. A leanly-handsome face was topped with a mane of blonde hair that looked carelessly arranged and rather windswept, he suspected deliberately. A pair of dark-blue eyes stared at him with interest gleaming in their depths, as David Straetharn said in an upper-class accent that was most likely the result of several expensive prepatory schools: “It’s very nice to meet both of you. The Vice President of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, recommended you to me highly. She said that you did sterling work for her company not too long ago. I’ve got a bit of a problem,” he continued ruefully, “And I’d really like your help. I can pay well, of course,” he added as Remus led the way into the room, “Although from what I’ve heard about you, Mr. Black, money isn’t the issue.” 

 

Sirius shrugged. “That’s true,” he agreed. “I have no need to take just any old job that comes along. I can pick and choose at my leisure. And my partner here,” he touched Snape’s shoulder lightly, “Is the same way even though he’s new to the troubleshooting profession. Perhaps if you could tell us something about your problem?”

 

“I’ll be happy to do that,” Straetharn replied with a low-lidded look at Sirius. It was plain for everyone in the room to see that he was very interested in Sirius Black.

 

Sirius paid no attention to the flirtatious glance he was receiving from David Straetharn. He was used to this kind of attention, after all, and he had no interest in the man in return. He had eyes only for Severus Snape. So it never occurred to him that his lover was feeling more than a touch of that green-eyed monster jealousy, for he was busy listening to what the lawyer had to say about the troubleshooting job that he needed done. 

 

Apparently the computers in his office, which stored the case files from every client he’d ever had, had somehow acquired a truly nasty trojan virus that was both self-replicating and extremely destructive. He didn’t want to scrap them altogether, since that would involve thousands of hours of man power to enter all of those files again into new computers from the paper files stored in the basement of his office building. And would cost him a good bit of money, as well. He wanted Sirius and Severus to clean the computers of this virus and retrieve the files if they could, maybe even transfer them to the hard drives of new computers if that were possible.

 

Severus glowered at the handsome blonde man talking so earnestly to his lover. The man hadn’t said one word to him so far. And he’d barely glanced at Snape, either. His dark-blue eyes were fastened on Sirius’s handsome face. :Bastard!: the programmer thought viciously.

 

He wanted to get up from the couch, storm over to the chair that this Straetharn character was sitting in, and punch the lawyer right in his pretty-boy face. His lips lifted off his teeth a little in a silent snarl. The thing that made him the angriest, though(and the most uneasy, as well) was that this David Straetharn was exactly the kind of man he’d expect someone like Sirius Black to date. High-class, moneyed, handsome, charming, sexy, erudite, magnetic…and Damn-it-all, even intelligent! The man was a perfect foil for Sirius. What did he have to offer that this man didn’t? Nothing. Nothing at all. His shoulders slumped at this thought, as the anger drained out of him, leaving depression in its wake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius wonders what's bugging Severus.

Sirius wondered what was bothering Severus. His lover had been quiet for most of the evening at Lupin’s house, and also in the taxi which took them home to their flat. Now he set his bags on the floor in the sitting room, and turned to look at Snape. The dark-eyed man was sorting through more than two weeks of accumulated mail, a small frown on his face. Sirius truly doubted that a pile of bills and circulars was the thing that had put that frown there. 

 

“Sev,” he said aloud, making the other man glance up at him questioningly. “Is anything the matter?” The tall man asked, studying his lover’s face intently.

 

The ebony eyes dropped as the programmer replied shortly: “I’m just very tired, that’s all.” 

 

Sirius sighed. He recognized from the tone of voice that his lover was not going to tell him what he wanted to know. Not now, anyway. He’d just have to keep pushing until he made Severus mad enough or irritated him enough that he’d blurt out what Sirius wanted to know. For now he only said, “Well, I’m a bit tired myself. Let’s go to bed and unpack in the morning, eh?” 

 

Snape set the mail on the hall table. “Very well,” he said, following Sirius as the tall man made his way into their bedroom. 

 

Later, snuggled up together under the covers, Sirius rolled his head on the pillow and looked at the elegantly-bony face resting on his shoulder. “Sev?” he said softly. 

 

The dark eyes opened, looking into his own. “How do you feel about taking the job for this David Straetharn? It’s simple enough, and the salary is quite good. It shouldn’t take us more than a few days to sort out his problem.” 

 

Eyelids fell over those ebony orbs, hiding them from Sirius’s gaze. “If that’s what you want to do, Black,” he said quietly. 

 

Sirius frowned, his brows gathering together. “This has to be what we both want, Sev,” he pointed out. “This is a partnership, after all. If you don’t want to take the job, then we won’t.”

 

Snape sighed, reaching up to rub at his eyes wearily. “You’re right that it's an easy job for good pay,” he said. “We’d be fools to turn it down. As you said, it will only be for a few days.” 

 

The tall man wished his could shake his lover a bit in frustration. If only Severus would say what was bothering him! Usually Snape was very direct and forthright with Sirius. What was different this time? “All right, then,” he said aloud. “I’ll call him tomorrow to confirm.”

 

Silence. Snape had closed his eyes again, resting his head back on Sirius’s shoulder, seeming to be falling asleep. But the other man suspected that this was an act, that he just didn’t want to talk. He himself stared up at the ceiling for awhile, trying to think what could have put his Sev in this mood. They’d had such a good holiday, and his lover had been relaxed and happy. He realized that Severus had still been that way up until the time they’d arrived at Remus’s house. Then he’d changed for some reason, becoming moody and withdrawn. He didn’t think that this was because Lily and James Potter had been there too. In point of fact, the actual time that Sev had started to act this way was just after David Straetharn had arrived to talk to them… 

 

His mind came completely alert at this thought. It was something about the blonde lawyer that had set Severus off. But what? He thought back on the evening, trying to pinpoint what it could have been. It was true that Straetharn had rather ignored Snape, but Sirius didn’t think that that mattered. Severus didn’t generally care for the opinion of people like the snooty, arrogant blonde. Why would he start now? It had to be something else about the lawyer…suddenly he remembered some other incidents. Snape was a jealous lover, and Sirius knew that he didn’t care for other people showing interest in what was his.

 

But generally when Severus got jealous, he also got angry. His black eyes would start to snap, and steam would practically start rising from his ears. He would have been giving the lawyer a look that should have killed him. That was how Snape normally reacted toward those who flirted with Sirius. Instead, he’d fallen into this state of gloom. Why? If it was jealousy of the handsome, successful lawyer, why hadn’t his lover practically been threatening to claw David Straetharn’s eyes out? Sirius vowed to watch his lover carefully in the next few days, especially when they were around the blonde lawyer. Perhaps he could understand this disturbing change in Snape’s behavior. He didn’t like his Sev being this way, not at all. If there was any way that he could cheer his lover up he would do whatever it took. 

 

 

Snape, unaware that his lover had noticed his depressed mood last night, awoke the next morning and dragged himself out of bed. Sirius was still asleep as he went into the washroom to take a shower. Glumly he stared at his own face in the mirror, seeing what Sirius Black saw. High cheekbones, bony features, a blade of a nose, a wide forehead…he catalogued each feature gloomily. By the time that he got to his rather thin mouth, he felt wretched. He wasn’t handsome, or charming, or sexy…why did the gorgeous creature currently sleeping in their bed see in him? He could understand if he’d had a scintillating personality, but even Sirius had used words like ‘sour’ and ‘anti-social’ to describe him in the past. He took off his robe to look at his naked body, but nothing he saw reassured him at all.

 

Snape stepped away from the mirror to turn on the shower, not wanting to stare at himself anymore. He got the water as hot as he could stand it, and then walked under the nearly-steaming stream fearlessly. He gasped as it battered his skin, but he knew that it would both wake him up and perhaps help him feel a little better. Snape turned his face up to the water, letting it run over his face and down his neck, trying not to think about the fact that he and Sirius were going to David Straetharn’s office today to begin their latest job. 

 

Blindly he reached out to fumble for the shampoo, and then gasped a bit as it was put into his hand. A hard naked body slid into the shower behind him, and a pair of strong arms slid around him to pull him up against it. He felt a nose nuzzle his wet hair. “How can you stand it this hot, Sev?” Sirius purred into his ear, making him shiver a bit in spite of himself.

 

Hands caressed over his skin, using the water as lubrication. Snape felt himself relaxing back into those beloved arms, his unhappiness leaking away for the moment. Just being with Sirius Black always made him feel relaxed and comfortable, and he sighed in pleasure as one hand reached his groin and closed over his half hard cock tenderly. “Mmm, nothing like a morning shower,” the tall man rumbled as he bit at Snape’s earlobe. 

 

His hand stroked the length of Severus’s cock, and then he ran his thumb over the tip. Sirius began to suckle at the ear he was molesting, as Snape’s legs threatened to buckle out from under him at this duel stimulation. He made small sounds of pleasure in the back of his throat, as Sirius chuckled softly into his ear. Severus felt something hard hitting him in the small of his back, rubbing against his skin sensually as Sirius’s hand began to stroke him rhythmically. 

 

“Uhh, Black,” Snape gasped, pushing himself into that caressing hand. His head fell back against the taller man’s shoulder as he felt himself being drawn up to orgasm already. Sirius breathed a ghost of a laugh into his ear, and then nibbled at it intensely. His free hand held one of Snape’s hips as he tightened his fingers a bit and gave a last hard stroke. Severus cried out wordlessly, his semen splashing out onto the tile floor in front of him. He shuddered in Sirius’s arms, going limp and boneless in the tall man’s grasp.

 

His lover continued to rub himself relentlessly against Snape’s skin, until Severus heard a low groan behind him as Sirius found his own end a minute later. “I definitely love a good morning shower,” he gasped, cradling Snape tenderly in his arms as the hot water continued to pound down on them both.

 

Later, clean and dressed, they both wandered down into the kitchen to make breakfast. Sirius began to assemble the ingredients for waffles, which he made from scratch. He knew that Snape loved them, and that it might make his lover feel a bit better to have one of his favorite foods for breakfast. He bustled about, collecting a large ceramic mixing bowl as well as the utensils he’d need. Snape was turning the coffee machine put on, and putting toast in the toaster to brown. They worked together in a comfortable silence, not needing to chatter much. Sirius tended to hum when he was deep in whatever project he was working on, but Snape had long since grown accustomed to this habit and paid it no mind

 

. Snape set the little table for breakfast, and then fetched juice from the refrigerator. He poured it into two glasses, setting one beside his plate and the other beside Sirius’s. The toast rack followed, full of golden brown pieces. While he himself was not a big eater in the mornings, Sirius Black certainly was. The tall man ate enough to keep three men going. He could hear his lover stirring the batter he’d made in the bowl, getting ready to pour it onto the imported waffle maker that he had heating up on the counter.

 

Snape fetched down a bottle of the pure maple syrup that Sirius paid a fortune for. It was straight from Vermont in America, and satisfied the other man’s sweet tooth. He also liked to put fruit and whipped cream on his waffles, while Severus liked only a bit of butter and a small dollop of syrup. He marveled that his lover’s teeth hadn’t rotted out of his head already. “Almost done here,” Sirius called, and Severus picked up a plate and carried it over so that the tall man could slide a perfectly-cooked golden brown waffle onto it.

 

He also collected a kiss from Snape, before he poured yet another helping of batter onto the waffle maker. It didn’t take him long to heap the plates with stacks of waffles, which Severus took over to the table. Sirius finished up, and then cleaned the waffle maker before he whirled around with his normal energy to make a bee line for the refrigerator. He retrieved some cut up fresh strawberries, as well as the tub of whipped cream from within it, happily bearing them to the table. He sat down across from Snape, piling the fruit and cream onto his stack of waffles with a liberal hand.

 

Snape shook his head as he sipped at his coffee, thinking to himself that his lover looked like a contented little boy as he gleefully poured maple syrup over this mound. “Mmm,” Sirius said, taking a large bite of his breakfast. “Wonderful.” 

 

Severus fixed his own waffles the way he liked them, much less sweet and overloaded. He cut a piece off of them, taking a bite in appreciation of Sirius’s cooking skills. The waffles were light and fluffy, perfectly-cooked, divine. His earlier depression had lifted almost entirely away, and he enjoyed his breakfast in peace. 

 

But his good mood evaporated once they were finished eating and had cleaned up the kitchen. Sirius went onto the sitting room and made purposefully for the landline. “I’m going to call David Straetharn,” he said over his shoulder to Snape. “And tell him that we’re accepting the job.” 

 

Snape paused in the archway leading into the kitchen, feeling like there was a lead weight in his stomach as he watched his tall lover pick up the handset and begin to dial the number that Straetharn had given them last night at Remus’s house. He crossed his arms over his chest, hugging himself unconsciously as his dark eyes dropped to the floor. 

 

He wasn’t aware that Sirius had turned to watch him keenly, to see his lover’s reaction to this call, and had of course seen how miserable Snape looked. Sirius frowned to himself. It definitely had something to do with the blonde lawyer. He would have told Straetharn that they couldn’t accept the job, but he was concerned about Snape’s odd reaction in this case. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, so he intended to push his lover a bit. If he could get out of Severus why he was acting this way, they would be able to talk and perhaps come to some understanding. Sirius sensed that this was an issue in their relationship that needed to be dealt with, and the sooner the better in his opinion. “Hello? May I speak with David Straetharn? This is Sirius Black calling.” 

 

He waited while a receptionist transferred his call. Then the high class voice from last night came on the line, as the lawyer greeted Sirius smoothly. He was happy to hear that Sirius Black and his partner would be taking the job, and named a salary that should have been exorbitant for such simple work. But Sirius shrewdly suspected that the fee was a sweetener to tempt him to come work for the lawyer. David Straetharn was a powerful man, who was used to getting what he wanted. And what he wanted right now was the time and attention of Sirius Black. He’d get what he wanted – but only to a certain extent. He’d get only as much as Sirius chose to give him, and that only because he intended to use the lawyer ruthlessly to find out what was bothering his lover. He didn’t feel the least bit bad about it, either, for Straetharn clearly knew that he and Snape were together and yet he’d ignored Severus all last night as though the programmer didn’t exist.

 

When he hung up the phone, Sirius turned to look at Snape again. “Well that’s settled. We have an appointment to be at his offices at one o’clock.” 

 

“Very well,” Severus replied stiffly, straightening up from the archway and beginning to walk toward the door to their office. “I’m going to get some work done,” he told Sirius without looking at the tall man. 

 

Sirius sighed as he watched Snape’s back retreat into the office. His lover shut the door, clearly indicating that he didn’t want to be around Sirius at the moment. He rolled his shoulders before walking over to the couch and throwing himself down on it. He picked up the remote control and turned on the telly, beginning to flip through the channels idly. Yes, in his opinion, the sooner he cleared up this situation the better. A glum, depressed Severus Snape was a hard creature to live with. It reminded him far too much of the way his lover had been when he’d first met the other programmer at Hogwarts, when Sev had still been moody and depressed over Lily’s marriage to James Potter. He hadn’t liked this behavior then, and he didn’t like its reappearance at all now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius gets...well...serious about the reasons why he loves his Snape...

Snape followed Sirius’s tall form as his lover walked into the offices of David Straetharn and Associates. The programmer looked around in a disgruntled manner, seeing the dark-paneled walls, plush carpet underfoot, and the beautiful antique furniture. While he understood that a successful lawyer would want his offices to look the part, it still made him scowl darkly. Most likely that blonde bastard represented the very wealthy exclusively, kissing arse in that inimitable snooty manner of his. 

 

He waited as his lover reduced the receptionist in the outer offices to a giggling, blushing teenager, sighing. Sirius Black was far too charming for his own good. Or Severus Snape’s for that matter. “Please follow me, gentlemen,” the receptionist said after she’d used the intercom to inform her boss that his visitors were here.

 

She got to her feet and led the way into a wide hall with doors lining it. Going to the pair of wide doors at the end, she knocked discreetly on them and then ushered the two men into Straetharn’s personal office inside. This room was even more opulent than the outer office had been, and David Straetharn himself seemed to fit smoothly in it like an oyster in a shell. He rose from behind the large antique desk, circling it with a smile as he held out his hand to Sirius. “Welcome, Mr. Black,” he said, holding the tall man’s hand a bit too long. Then he seemed to belatedly realize that Snape was in the room. “And Mr.…err…Snape, of course. Please have a seat, both of you,” he indicated the deep, comfortable-looking leather chairs in front of his desk.

 

The two men seated themselves, as Straetharn resumed his own seat behind his desk. Sirius glanced over at his lover, seeing that the other man’s mouth was thinned and his eyes were half-lidded to conceal the dislike in them. He almost grinned to see this resumption of Severus’s normal behavior. He had to train his attention on the lawyer behind the desk as Straetharn said smoothly. “I’m so pleased that you both decided to help me with my little problem. In a moment I’ll have my assistant take you to our computer room so that you can get down to work. I’ll happily pay for any equipment and parts that you may need. I shudder to think of just how many hours it will take to re-enter the data into new computers if you find that you cannot retrieve it from the damaged ones. Those hard drives contain the case files for every client that I’ve had in the last ten years, as well as those of my associates. I will forever be in your debt,” he continued, giving Sirius a low-lidded look as he said this, “If you live up to your reputation in this case.”

 

“We’ll try our best, Mr. Straetharn,” the tall man replied easily, choosing to ignore that look.

 

The lawyer smiled. “Please, call me David,” he remarked. Sirius hesitated, feeling the chill emanating from the chair beside him. 

 

“David,” he replied at last.

 

“Wonderful. I’ll leave you to it, gentlemen, as I’ve a client coming in for a one-thirty appointment. Do let me know if there’s anything that you need,” he was looking at Sirius when he said this, but the tall man chose to pretend ignorance again.

 

He rose to his feet, followed by Snape. David Straetharn called in his competent-looking assistant to take them to the computer room, and she led the way back out into the hall and into the outer office. From there, they followed her to a second, much-plainer hall (the place where the ordinary employees of the firm toiled), and to a small room where eight high-tech computers sat on small desks. Clearly Straetharn didn’t skimp on technology. There were no employees sitting before the desks at the moment, and the assistant left them to their task with a smile and an injunction to use the intercom to call her if they needed anything. 

 

Sirius sat down at the nearest computer and turned it on. It barely booted up, and the screen was filled with abstract shapes as soon as it did so. He whistled as he touched a few keys, shaking his head. “These are fried,” he commented to Snape as his lover chose another desk and also turned on a computer. “We'll be lucky if we can retrieve any files from them. This must be one hell of a virus.” 

 

Severus nodded minutely, his mind already turned to the task at hand. For the moment, he could forget the blonde problem who’d been flirting with his lover not long ago. He was a man who could concentrate completely on whatever he was working at, to the exclusion of all else. It was what made him such a good programmer, in fact. He set to work, his fingers flying over the keyboard. 

 

Across the room, Sirius smiled a little before he bent over his own computer. He liked to watch his lover go into that special state of mind where he shut out the rest of the world. It was akin to the way that Sev was in bed, and he had often benefited from that particular trait of his lover’s. Not to mention the fact that the man had very nimble fingers…he grinned as he got down to work himself. Silence fell between them, and they worked in that comfortable state that they’d achieved over the last few months together as both partners and lovers. 

 

Time flowed away, and it was late afternoon when there was a knock at the doorframe. Sirius looked up, blinking, as his mind returned to the real world. He saw David Straetharn standing in the door, and the blonde smiled at him. “Hello, I just came to check on you both. How’s it going? Do you think you can save them?” 

 

Sirius stretched in his chair like a great cat. “Well, the computers will make great paperweights,” he replied dryly, “But I think we might be able to transfer the files off of them at least.”

 

“That’s excellent news,” the lawyer replied, looking pleased. “But you don’t have to finish the job today. I’m knocking off for the day, and I was wondering if you…both…like to go to dinner with me?” He looked at Sirius as he said this, without glancing at Severus.

 

Sirius took a deep breath and counseled himself silently not to smash David Straetharn’s pretty face in. It irritated him so badly that the man flirted with him openly in front of his lover, and ignored Snape as though he didn’t exist. If he hadn’t wanted to understand Sev’s strange mood from last night and this morning, he would have told the bastard off already. Instead, he forced himself to reply in a civil manner. “I could eat,” he said, “What do you think, Sev?” He turned to look at his lover questioningly. 

 

The black eyes were hooded, the mouth tight with dislike. But the programmer said abruptly: “Of course. Why not?” in a tone that said that he had a hundred reasons why they shouldn’t go out to dinner with the blonde lawyer with the satisfied smirk on his face.

 

“Very well,” David Straetharn replied. “Shall we go in my car? I could bring you both back here after,” he added. 

 

“That will be fine,” Sirius rose to his feet, then looked down at what he was wearing. “I hope you don’t intend us to go anyplace fancy,” he remarked with a quirk of his lips. “I’m afraid that I’m not dressed for it.”

 

“That’s all right” David assured him. “We could even go to a pub to catch a quick bite if you like.”

 

So they ended up doing just that, all three sharing a booth. Snape sat on the far side of Sirius, eating silently and ostentatiously ignoring the lawyer. David returned the courtesy, chatting with Sirius exclusively. The atmosphere was tense, and Sirius wished silently that he and Sev could be home right now watching a video and eating take-out food together. He responded to the lawyer’s conversational gambits, although he had to grit his teeth to be nice and even the least bit charming. The things he did for Snape… 

 

Finally, the dark-eyed man stood up abruptly. “I’m going to use the loo,” he said tightly, walking away without a backward glance. 

 

Sirius sighed, taking a drink of his ale as he watched his lover walk away. David Straetharn leaned forward a bit. “I hope you won’t mind, Sirius,” he began smoothly, “But I must get this out. I find myself very attracted to you. You’re quite a handsome and charismatic man.”

 

Sirius stared at the lawyer in disbelief. The temerity of the man! “Excuse ME, David,” he replied sharply, “But as you may not be aware, I am already in a relationship with my partner Severus Snape.”

 

The blonde lifted a brow. “Oh? May I ask why? He doesn’t strike me as your type of bloke, Sirius. He’s certainly not what I would call debonair or handsome or interesting. Perhaps it's time that you traded up, as it were.”

 

Rage was rising in the tall man’s breast. He was this close to cold-cocking the smarmy son-of-a-bitch, but to his horror he realized that Snape had reappeared at the table in time to hear what the lawyer had said. There had been a short line for the washroom, so he’d come back. David Straetharn’s cool words had struck right to the heart of his insecurities, and it felt as though he’d taken a blow to the solar plexus. He stared at Sirius, who started to rise to his feet. “Sev…” he began.

 

Snape lifted a hand to stop him. “Don’t worry about it, Black,” he said tonelessly. “He is simply speaking the truth. Perhaps you SHOULD ‘trade up’, as he says,” Severus nodded at the lawyer, who simply looked amused. “I don’t know why you bother with me. I’ve never understood it.” 

 

“Sev!” Sirius protested in shock. “What are you saying?!” 

 

“I’m saying,” Snape took a deep breath as his shoulders tensed. “That we may not be right for each other, Black.”

 

In his head he thought in silent misery, :You are too good for me, Sirius Black: 

 

Silence. Then Sirius turned to look at David Straetharn. “I’m sorry to say, Mr. Straetharn, but Sev and I can’t work for you anymore. We have to get going,” he moved quickly out of the booth and took Snape’s arm before his lover could protest or try to escape. “We’re going home to talk,” Sirius said to him tightly. “Now,” he made it a command, pulling the black-eyed man away toward the bar where he intended to call a taxi. He wasn’t going anywhere with that blonde lawyer again.

 

Snape would have protested, but he was too unhappy to bother. Sirius called a taxi, promising the driver a large tip if he’d arrive at the pub quickly. Then he hung up the phone and turned to look at his lover. His grey eyes were hard. Severus felt his heart sinking into his stomach. Sirius looked quite angry. He wondered morbidly if this was it – if the other man was going to throw him out of the flat and end their relationship tonight. Much as he’d suggested that Sirius do so, he found that he didn’t want that to happen. He loved the tall, handsome wanker currently glaring at him. He wanted to hug himself as a chill went down his spine. What would happen when they got home? 

 

Sirius had still said nothing to Snape when the taxi dropped them off at their flat. He simply dragged his lover up the stairs and used his key to open the door. Then he pulled Severus into the sitting room. The other man went tamely, feeling sick. Then Sirius let go of his arm, and turned to look at his lover assessingly. “So you think that I should throw you over, Sev,” he began calmly. Snape tensed even further, crossing his arms over his chest protectively. “Because you don’t understand what I see in you. Is that correct?” 

 

Silence again. Then Snape nodded, once. Sirius sighed, reaching up to run his hand through his long hair distractedly. “Damn it, Sev!” he growled furiously. “What the hell is wrong with you? Just how shallow are you implying that I am?” 

 

Severus gaped at him, taken aback. His lover shook his head. “I love you, Severus Snape. Not some smarmy, fancy-pants lawyer in an Armani suit. Yes, he’s better-looking than you, and he has more money, and I’m pretty sure he’s in better shape physically. Plus, he has a posh accent and several degrees. My dream man, right? Yes – if I’m a person who cares only for appearances. Which I’m not. David Straetharn is all looks, no substance. Most of the things I like about you are under the surface, Sev. Shall I tell you what they are?” 

 

Snape nodded dumbly, feeling stunned. He’d never looked at the situation from quite the angle that Sirius was coming at it. It did make Sirius Black sound very shallow, which he wasn’t. At first he’d thought the other man was, but that wasn’t true… Sirius began to walk toward him. “How do I love thee, let me count the ways?” He said with a quirk of his lips. He let his hands settled on Snape’s shoulders, rubbing over the fabric of his shirt tenderly. “I love the way you brood,” he said with a tiny wink, making Snape snort slightly. “But I do!” he protested. “You get all quiet, and I can tell that you’re thinking deeply. I want to know every one of those thoughts – I’m fascinated by your ‘mind’.” He leered faintly, making Severus want to roll his eyes. But he was too intent on what Sirius was saying. He really, really wanted to know why this man wanted him. 

 

“And I love it when you get angry. Your eyes start to snap, and when they do I just want to have sex with you so badly - what? Why do you think I work at making you mad so often?” he said teasingly. 

 

Snape sighed, making his lover laugh. “I love how sharp your tongue is. It’s so cute when you flay people,” he continued cheerfully. “Even me, although sometimes the cuts are sharp.” 

 

Snape did shake his head now. “You’re mad, Black,” he said wonderingly. 

 

Sirius nodded happily. “That’s right. That’s’ why we fit so well, Sev. I have just as many annoying habits and personality traits as you do. I don’t know of anyone else who could stand me for any length of time. I figure that our mental problems complement each other.”

 

Snape couldn’t help himself. Relief and the lifting of his depression were making him feel almost giddy. He found himself actually laughing, a sight that mesmerized Sirius. He stared at his lover, his mouth hanging open a little. “My God,” he rasped as Severus fought to control himself. The grey eyes were darkening with desire, and they made Snape take in a deep breath and stop laughing as his stomach fluttered and his groin reacted sharply. “I think,” Sirius practically purred as he began to stalk toward his lover, “That we should adjourn to the bedroom so that I can tell you what I love about you physically, since I’m cataloguing your charms,” he grasped Severus’s arm again, and his lover went tamely with him once more. But for a very different reason this time. Sirius drew him down the hall and into the bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind them both.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How beautiful do i find thee? Let me count the ways...

Sirius drew Severus into their bedroom. He closed the door after them, and then turned to his waiting lover. Snape still looked a bit tense, and he knew that the other man wasn’t totally convinced about what he’d said out in the sitting room despite the fact that he could see how sincere Sirius had been. While he could understand his lover’s uncertainties, he didn’t want them to continue. He wanted Severus Snape to understand just how precious and loved he was, and how special. He walked toward the lanky man slowly, reaching out to grasp Snape’s upper arms with his hands. “Sev,” he said. “Do you know just how sexy you are? Have you any idea?” 

 

Snape shook his head dumbly. Sirius sighed but smiled as he slid his hands over to the buttons on the front of Severus’s shirt. “Then I’ll just have to show you,” he remarked as he began to unbutton them quickly and dexterously. He nearly held his breath as he bared the pale, gorgeous chest to his hungry eyes. He looked up into his lover’s ebony orbs as he began gravely: “I love so many things about your body,” he husked. “Let’s start with your face,” he lifted a hand to cup Snape’s cheek. “I love your bone structure,” he said, running his thumb along a high cheekbone tenderly. 

 

Snape frowned. He knew his face was boney, not handsome. Seeing his expression, Sirius laughed. “Everybody has different ideas about what’s handsome, Sev,” he said, reading the other man’s mind as usual. “I think that you’re gorgeous. I love how elegant your bones are. And I love this,” he tapped the bridge of the blade of a nose. “It makes you look like a hawk. You’d look good in profile on an ancient Roman coin.” 

 

Severus stared at him in disbelief. He’d always thought that his nose was enormous, dominating his face and crowding out the rest of his features. Sirius ran the finger down the bridge of his nose, still smiling. “And then there’s your mouth,” he remarked, reaching the orifice that Severus had always thought was too thin, especially after his nose. “I love how it tastes,” Sirius purred, his grey eyes darkened with desire as he ran a finger along Severus’s lower lip. “And how sensual it is. And the sounds it makes, when I’m shagging you…” his voice had gone low and deep.

 

Snape shivered as all of his nerve endings came alive. “But I especially love your eyes,” Sirius went on, having mesmerized his lover. “They’re so deep, so dark…I see so many things in them. Your feelings, your thoughts, your uncertainties…they talk to me all of the time,” he ran the finger up to stroke over the fragile looking eyelids that covered those lovely ebony eyes. “I love what they say to me.” 

 

Snape found himself beginning to breathe very quickly. He stared at Sirius as his lover let his other hand join the first in tracing Severus’s features. He cradled Snape’s chin as he leaned forward and began to kiss all of the things that he’d touched, lightly but insistently. “Your skin tastes sweet,” he murmured. “And now that you’ve been out in the sun a bit it isn’t sallow like it used to be. It helps that you have a better haircut,” he added, nosing into the soft, fine stuff happily. “Because when I first met you it was a lank, greasy mop. Didn’t suit you at all – nor did it show off your nice-looking face properly, either.” 

 

Severus was entranced by this slow, sensual cataloguing of his features. There was a kiss on the end of his nose, and then Sirius reached his mouth. Severus moaned softly as his lover’s mouth closed over his, and thrust his tongue out to meet Sirius’s. They tangled together gloriously, as a strong hand cradled the back of Snape’s head to hold him in place. Their bodies rubbed together lightly, and the feel of his bare skin against the fabric of Sirius’s shirt made him shudder lightly in his lover’s embrace. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and he felt utterly breathless when Sirius finally pulled away. “Hmm, I like this” he growled. “I can’t wait to tell you everything I love about your body…or to show you, either. Let’s start with your neck,” he lifted his lover’s chin, exposing the long line of the other man’s throat. “I love to defile all of this lovely skin with hickeys,” Sirius said, bending his head to lick a trail down the white skin of his lover’s throat. “They show everybody else that you’re MINE.”

 

He sucked at the skin lightly, causing a bruise to form. Severus groaned, his legs threatening to buckle under these wonderful, terrible caresses and Sirius’s words alike. But this suited his lover’s purposes anyway, as he guided Snape down onto the surface of their bed. Sirius hovered over him, holding himself up on his powerful forearms. He smiled down at Snape, doing a reverse push up to buss his lover on the mouth. Then he moved down toward the lanky body he adored, pushing the plackets of Snape’s shirt open even further. He sat up a little, his legs straddling Severus’s, as he reached down to place his fingertips on the expanse of Snape’s chest. “I love all of this soft skin,” he remarked, moving his hand in light circles. And I love these,” his fingertips found the rose-colored nipples that crowned his lover’s chest, tugging at them a bit. Snape gasped, arching his back into these caresses. “And I really love the noises you make when I do this,” he bent over at the waist and closed his mouth over Snape’s right nipple, beginning to suckle at it strongly.

 

Severus moaned, his hands coming up to close in his lover’s long hair tightly. “They’re so sensitive,” Sirius growled as he nibbled at the peaked nub. He ran his tongue over it in a long lap, and then said: “I just wish I could convince you to get a piercing, Sev. It would be sooo sexy on you.” 

 

Snape was losing it. This was so intense, so wonderful…he could barely think anymore. Sirius’s hands ran down his lower chest and upper stomach, stroking the skin in wide circles. “And I love your treasure trail,” he murmured, his fingers running through the sparse trail of hair that ran from his lover’s nipples to his groin.

 

Somehow Severus found his voice. “What?” he asked, his brows drawing together a little. “My what?” 

 

Sirius chuckled throatily. “This,” he moved down a bit and propped himself up on his forearms again so that he could bend down and lap at the beginnings of the trail around his lover’s nipples. “This hair. That’s what some people call it – a treasure trail. Because it leads to richly rewarding things,” he laughed softly, moving ever downward as he followed the line of hair over jumping stomach muscles toward his own personal ‘treasure’. Snape lifted his hips, gasping, as a tongue dipped into his belly button briefly.

 

Hands quickly stripped him of his trousers and briefs, yanking them down off of his legs and tossing them onto the floor. “Mmm, speak of the devil,” Sirius said as he arrived at Snape’s groin at last. “Here’s another thing I really love, Sev. Especially the taste,” and he opened his mouth as he sank down on the cock twitching and leaking between his lover’s thighs almost reverently, beginning to bob his head as he did something he adored doing to his Sev.

 

Severus cried out, his fingers once more settling in long dark hair desperately. Sirius pleasured him skillfully, and he felt like his brain was going to explode at any moment. That tongue, that insidious tongue, was lapping and twining over that most sensitive part of him, doing the most wondrous things. He couldn’t take much more – he was afire. Then fingers squeezed his balls gently, and that was too much. He came with a last loud cry, surging into the mouth that sucked his semen out of him. He fell back against the bed, panting, as Sirius swallowed the last drop and lifted his head. There was a smug expression on his handsome face, a look that normally annoyed Snape. But not here, not in the bedroom. His brain was too fuzzy from that climax to care right at the moment. 

 

Hands stroked his thighs as he recovered, and Sirius kissed his stomach lazily. “I love the look on your face when you come, Sev,” he remarked. “You look like you’re seeing Heaven. I love the fact that I can make you look that way.”

 

Snape’s black eyes opened, and he looked down his body at his lover’s face. Sirius looked into those languid ebony orbs and felt satisfaction and masculine pride run through him. He sat up and began to pull of his own clothing, taking his time so that Snape could look his fill. He was proud of his body, and even prouder of the fact that Severus Snape liked the look of it. Finally, he was nude, showing himself off easily and without shame. He sat on the bed and ran a hand over his own taut abdomen lightly. His fingers played briefly with the heavy silver barbell that pierced his navel. 

 

Watching Sirius touch himself, Snape felt desire rising up in him again. He moved at last, rolling to the side and then lifting himself up into a sitting position. He moved toward his lover, who waited patiently for him with a gleam in the grey eyes. Snape said nothing, not cataloguing all of the things he loved about Sirius’s physique - but then, he didn’t have to. Those black eyes told him everything he needed to know. He felt his breath catch as Snape’s long fingers settled on his chest, and the other programmer leaned forward to begin kissing his way over the broad, muscular chest. Each butterfly touch of that mouth worked Sirius up more and more. He looked down dazedly at the bent head in front of him as Severus reached one of his pierced nipples and closed his mouth over it – ring and all. He groaned as his lover tongued over the metal and the rucked nub together, swirling until he felt like he could come just from that touch. His Sev really knew how to get to him.

 

When Severus started to move downward, kissing the skin of his stomach, Sirius didn’t know whether he should feel grateful or regretful. He sat very still as a tongue traced over the rolling muscles of his belly, and a hand fell into his lap to grasp his cock. Then Severus bent his head and ran that tongue over the slick head of his lover’s erection, making Sirius groan again in painful pleasure. Blindly he stared down at the head in his lap, as Severus began to lick a trail down his shaft. He adored the fact that his lover had wanted to learn how to do this, in spite of the fact that he had always been with women before this. It had taken time and training, but he’d moved past the awkward phase and was getting fairly adept at cock sucking.

 

“Oh, Sev, yes,” he moaned as his lover began to suck at the first few inches of his cock. “That feels so good. I love the way you do this.”

 

Snape bobbed his head a bit, trying not to choke. He hadn’t yet been able to totally move past his gag reflex, despite all of his practice. But he kept trying, sure that he would be able to do it eventually. At least his teeth didn’t scrape the sides of the shaft anymore. Hands petted his hair, and he felt pleased and proud that Sirius liked this so much. While his lover had always given him encouragement and told him how good it felt, this faithful cataloguing of everything that Sirius loved about his face and body had left him stunned. He knew that someone like Sirius Black would never tell him a string of lies just to make him feel good. The other man was very honest in his own way, despite his tendency to manipulate people sometimes (including and sometimes especially his lover), and Severus was pretty sure that Sirius had never lied to him about anything. So if he said that he loved all of those things about Severus Snape, then he meant it.

 

He clutched at Sirius’s powerful thighs with his hands as he continued his blow job. Each moan and cry above his head turned him on even more, and made him go at it more strongly. Finally hands gently pushed him away. “I’m going to come, Sev,” Sirius husked in warning. Snape sat up, wiping at his mouth a little. He hadn’t yet gotten around to swallowing, finding the whole idea distasteful. He knew that Sirius hoped to eventually change his mind, but for now he always made his lover come with his hand whenever he finished the other man off. But Sirius wasn’t interested in coming just yet, anyway.

 

He jumped on Snape, pushing him back down on the bed again. Then he descended on Severus, kissing his way over every inch of his lover’s skin, working Snape up again thoroughly. When he finally spread Severus’s legs and lay down between them, the other man was already in a pure daze of pleasure. “Here’s another part of you I love,” Sirius growled, then bent his head and used his fingers to spread the cheeks of his lover’s arse. He leaved briefly at Snape’s balls and the sensitive skin of his perineum, and then moved his head downward to lave it over the twitching pink ring of his lover’s anus. Snape gave forth loud cries of pleasure, his hips lifting, as Sirius gave him another of those intimate, devastating kisses. Sirius had told him that this was called ‘rimming’, and it always felt so good that he couldn’t protest how shocking and wrong it seemed. That tongue flicked and danced over the puckered ring, making his mind melt.

 

When several slick fingers wormed their way into his body, he didn’t care. All he knew was the vast, overwhelming pleasure that was rising up in him like a tidal wave. When fingertips pressed on his prostate lightly, he wailed in ecstasy. This was the only time he got really loud, and Sirius loved making Snape lose control and sing for him. Finally he could take no more, and it was clear that Severus couldn’t, either. He lifted himself away briefly, just enough to slick himself up before he returned. He didn’t wear condoms anymore, since they’d both tested negative for STD’s and HIV alike. He loved to slide into that tight space with nothing in the way, and his mouth twisted as he did so now.

 

Snape gasped in a combination of slight pain and total pleasure as his lover’s thick cock relentlessly pushed into him. Hands wound his legs around Sirius’s waist, as the handsome man looked down at him with shining grey eyes. “Ahh, Sev, I love the way you feel around me,” he husked, and Severus moaned at his words. 

 

Sirius began to move his hips slowly, giving his lover slight thrusts. Snape’s back arched off the bed to meet each one, and soon the tall man was picking up the pace. He grasped Severus’s thighs tightly, holding on for dear life as he stroked into the tight body writhing on the bed under him. His own head went back a little at the pleasure of burying his cock in that warm, clinging space over and over again. He could see that Snape’s fingers were buried in the bedspread on either side of him, and that the black eyes were far away. Snape’s mouth hung open as he struggled to breathe at all. Each thrust was pushing him closer to the edge, his whole body turning red as he flushed in pleasure. 

 

Sirius couldn’t take much more. He reached down with one hand to close over the half-hard cock between his lover’s legs, grasping it and timing each stroke to his thrusts. His hand made a slick sound as he began to wank Severus off in time with his movements, and his lover moaned helplessly as his head thrashed from side-to-side desperately. “Sev,” Sirius groaned hoarsely, “Come for me now.” 

 

His words and a last hard thrust finished Snape off. His whole body went rigid as his orgasm was drawn from him by his lover’s cock and hand. His semen splashed out over Sirius’s fingers and his own stomach as he came, and he heard as well as felt his lover come to his own end a moment later. The cock within him jerked as Sirius came within his body, and he gave a last wild cry at the feel of it. Sirius stilled above him. 

 

“Wow,” he breathed. “That was great, Sev. I love everything about you, Severus Snape…but I’ll admit that this is on my top ten list of things I love. Is that wrong?” 

 

Snape somehow found his voice. “Not at all,” he said hoarsely, “Not at all.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the help of a certain annoying lawyer, Snape makes up his mind.

Sirius lay trying to get his breath back, with Snape curled up against him. The other man had fallen asleep in exhaustion, after he’d been made love to energetically four times in a row. Sirius rolled his head and looked at his Sev’s peaceful face, the black eyes closed as he breathed evenly and deeply. Snape’s mouth was slightly open, and he looked young and peaceful. Sirius felt an upsurge of love. Damn, but he adored this man! His eyes came to rest on the ring lying against his lover’s chest, and his grey eyes became thoughtful. Now that he’d cleared up Severus’s self-esteem problems (hopefully for good), it only remained for him to somehow talk Sev into putting that ring on his finger and accepting Sirius’s proposal. 

 

His fingers lifted to close over his own engagement ring, the metal warmed by his skin. He would have put it on already, but he didn’t want to pressure Snape into anything. He didn’t want his lover digging in his heels, since they’d both be in their dotage by the time they tied the knot if Severus turned mulish. But he wanted to get married. To claim his lover for good and all, to be able to see the gold ring around Snape’s finger. When they went out together, people would be able to see that ring, as well as the one on Sirius’s finger, and know that the two of them were a married couple. That Severus belonged to Sirius Black, just as Sirius Black belonged to Severus Snape. How to talk his lover into saying yes? 

 

He’d have to be careful and cunning, whatever he did. Snape was very smart, and would see through any transparent ploys. He’d have to think about it over the next few days and weeks before he made his move. In the meantime, he needed to get some sleep himself. His body was feeling pleasantly tired. He closed his own eyes, turning his head to bury his nose in Severus Snape’s soft hair, and he fell asleep to the comforting sound of his lover’s breathing.

 

 

A few days later, Sirius launched himself out of his gym and ran down to answer the phone. He threw a towel around his neck as he snagged the phone off of its cradle and put it to his ear. “Hello?” He said between his slightly panting breaths.

 

A hesitation, then a smooth voice spoke into his ear. “Mr. Black? It's David Straetharn here. Listen, I am aware that you probably don’t want to speak to me, and I do apologize for that scene in the pub the other night. But I wanted to talk with you about the job that you and Mr. Snape left unfinished at my offices. I’m in dire straits, Mr. Black. I really need for you both to complete the task of transferring our files from the virus-infected computers to new ones. If I humbly beg, will you both return to my offices and finish what you started? I assure you that I’ll stay out of your way while you work. You won’t see hide nor hair of me, I promise. And I will happily pay you a bonus on top of your already generous fee. Please, if you could, I’m really desperate here.”

 

Sirius listened to this in silence. Then he began: “Listen, Mr. Straetharn, I don’t think that that would be a good idea. I’m sorry, but…” 

 

He was interrupted by a light touch on his elbow. He turned to see Snape standing behind him, his lover having emerged from their office while David Straetharn had been talking. Sirius gave Severus an enquiring look, putting his hand over the mouth piece of the phone as he did so. “What?” he asked softly.

 

“We can finish the job,” Severus said quietly. 

 

Sirius gaped at him. “Are you sure?” he asked in disbelief.

 

Snape nodded. His lover slowly shut his mouth, studying Severus’s face. The black eyes were mellow and calm. He grinned suddenly, setting the phone back to his ear. “Uhh, Mr. Straetharn, my partner has just informed me that he’s willing to finish the job. We’ll be at your offices today at two o’clock – so you’ll know what time to start avoiding the computer room. Okay?” there was a thread of warning in his voice, which the lawyer heard clearly.

 

“Very well, Mr. Black, and thank you very much. I’ll tell my assistant to expect you both.”

 

Sirius hung up the phone and turned back to his lover. “So this is really okay with you?” he asked Snape. 

 

Severus nodded. “We’ll finish the job we started and get paid,” he said. “I for one will happily accept Mr. Straetharn’s cheque. Maybe I’ll have it framed,” he added musingly, which made Sirius laugh uproariously. 

 

“God, you’re a lark, Sev,” he remarked when he could speak again. He walked up to his lover and pulled Snape in for a thorough kiss. “I’ll never be bored, being with you,” he went on when they finally parted. He ran a finger lovingly along Severus’s cheek. “That’s a great gift. And one I really appreciate,” he ran the finger along his lover’s bottom lip. “I have to finish working out, and then we’ll have something to eat before we go to Mr. Straetharn’s offices.” 

 

Snape eyed him. “Just be sure and take a shower somewhere in between your work-out and food,” he remarked dryly. 

 

Sirius contrived to look offended. “Are you saying that I stink, Sev?” He demanded, mock-pouting as he crossed his arms over his bare, muscular chest.

 

His lover snorted faintly. “Yes,” he replied, and turned to go back into their home office. 

 

He smiled slightly as he heard Sirius guffawing behind his back. Sirius took a bite of his tandoori chicken, savoring the spiciness. Snape was eating yakhani, a much less spicy mutton dish. Severus didn’t care for a lot of Indian food, including curry dishes. And he didn’t like it when Sirius kissed him after eating curry, so he’d cut down on his consumption of curry dishes significantly. And when he did eat them, he brushed his teeth vigorously before he locked lips with his lover. But the tandoori chicken was just as good, and he was enjoying his meal so much that he didn’t scarf it as he normally did. He still couldn’t quite believe that Snape was okay with them finishing the job for Straetharn, although it made him intensely happy. It meant that his lover wasn’t jealous of the lawyer anymore, which was excellent news. Sirius wanted the man he loved to be confident in their relationship, to know that he wasn’t going to even look at another man. That he didn’t need anybody else except for Severus Snape, and that he never would.

 

“Hey, Sev?” he said through a mouthful of chicken. He got a frown at his crudeness as the black eyes lifted to his.

 

“Yes?” 

 

“We should do something tonight. Maybe go dancing. What do you say?” Sirius gave his lover his best ‘little boy hopeful’ eyes.

 

Snape sighed and shook his head. “And I suppose if I say no that you’ll call me a ‘party pooper’ or something of the like, and mope for the rest of the day until I feel bad, and we’ll end up going anyway,” he remarked in exasperation. 

 

Sirius chuckled, pointing his finger at Severus as though it were a gun. “Bingo,” he replied triumphantly.

 

Snape rolled his eyes in disgust. “Very well,” he said in resignation.

 

“Great! I’ll help you pick out an outfit to wear later,” Sirius piped up happily. Severus returned to his food, wondering just how much of a push-over he was to let his lover talk him into these things all the time. But the truth that he knew inside of himself was that he secretly liked doing the things that Sirius badgered him into doing, but he’d never admit it on pain of torture. The other man knew this about him, just as Sirius Black seemed to know everything about Snape. It was eerie to have someone know him so well, and a little disturbing as well; but at the same time, it was almost comforting. It meant that the man who claimed to love him paid attention to what he did, what he thought, and the way he reacted to any given situation. And if that wasn’t love, what was? 

 

The two men arrived at the offices of David Straetharn, Esquire promptly at two o’clock. Snape climbed off the back of Sirius’s bike, taking off his helmet. He’d grown used to being a passenger over the last few months, although Sirius had teased him about the fact that he was going to get a sidecar for his motorcycle so that Snape could ride in comfort instead of clinging to him like a monkey. Not that he didn’t like that, the handsome man assured his lover. There was nothing better than having a sexy man clinging to him tightly as he drove his bike through the streets of London. Severus could admit to himself that he’d been tempted to run his hands down his lover’s torso sometimes when they were on the bike together, but he feared that he’d distract Sirius and they’d get into an accident.

 

They entered the building together, and the woman at the front desk called David’s assistant. She came out hurriedly to greet them and take them back to the computer room, saying briskly that she’d bring them some coffee and leave them to their task. She also left her number to call in case they needed anything at all. Sirius thanked her and took the slip of paper as she left them in the room and breezed away. He turned to his lover. “Well, let’s get this done,” he remarked, and Snape nodded.

 

They sat down and got to work, only occasionally needing to say something to each other. Hours slipped away, and they finally finished transferring the files from the virus-riddled old computers to the shiny, brand-new ones sitting beside each of the useless ones on the desks. Sirius made a triumphant sound as he booted up the last of the new computers and turned to grin at his lover. “Well, that’s that,” he said happily. “Dinner and dancing, here we come, eh? I’ll just call that assistant and tell her we’re done.” 

 

Snape nodded. “I have to use the lavatory,” he said. “I’ll do that while you talk to her,” he left the computer room, hesitantly opening all of the doors along the corridor looking for a loo. But no such luck; and he was beginning to feel a little desperate. Finally, reluctantly, Severus walked out into the receptionist’s room. But she was gone for the day, her desk empty. He sighed as he went to the door leading to the office wing. There had to be facilities here; or did the lawyers just hold it all day? 

 

He opened the door and walked down the carpeted hallway. Finally on the fifth try he got lucky, finding a posh looking lavatory befitting the rest of these high class offices. Snape used one of the urinals, then went over to a sink to wash his hands. It was a sculpted porcelain basin with streamlined silver handles. He had just finished drying his hands on the monogrammed towel hanging beside the sink, when the door opened. Snape turned, and felt his stomach give a jolt when he saw who was standing in the doorway. David Straetharn hesitated when he saw Severus. “Oh, do excuse me, Mr. Snape,” he said hurriedly. “I wasn’t aware that you were in here. Please forgive me,” he started to retreat, but the programmer spoke: “You don’t have to leave on my account, Mr. Straetharn. I was just finishing up. I’ll leave.”

 

He started toward the door, and the lawyer stepped aside to let him pass. “Mr. Snape,” he said as Severus went by him. The programmer stopped and looked over his shoulder.

 

The lawyer’s face was set in a suitably grave expression. “I just wanted to say that I’m verity sorry for that scene in the pub. It was wrong of me to try to cozy up to a man who was already taken. Do forgive me.” 

 

Snape stared at him for a moment. Then he shrugged and replied quietly: “Of course. Black wasn’t interested in you anyway. If I hadn’t been so uncertain about our relationship it wouldn’t have been an issue at all.” 

 

He started to walk away, and David Straetharn laughed softly. “Uncertain in the past tense? So you managed to work out your issues? That’s excellent news. There’s just something I’m curious about, if you’d indulge me,” he said. Snape paused, gritting his teeth, knowing he should just go on. But he waited as the lawyer said: “I find it curious that you call your lover by his last name. Why so formal? Is it a sign that you’re not really invested in this relationship after all? Or at least not as invested as Mr. Black seems to be? It’s clear to me that he really loves you. Can you say the same thing about him?” 

 

Snape turned to look at the lawyer. “Yes, I can,” he replied steadily. 

 

Straetharn’s lips quirked. “So why the last name? You’ve been together how long?” 

 

“Almost four months,” Snape said. “And I call him by his last name because it suits me to do so. That does not mean that I love him less than he does me. Look, I can see what you’re trying to do, Mr. .Straetharn. You’d still like to drive a wedge between us if you can. But that will not happen. Black loves me, and I love him.” He paused, then reached into his shirt to fish out the ring on the chain about his neck. “He’s even proposed marriage to me,” he added, showing the ring to the lawyer. “That is not the action of a man who’s going to throw me over for some flashy lawyer,” he bared his teeth at David Straetharn as he said this. 

 

The blonde winced exaggeratedly. “Ouch, you have me there,” he replied smoothly. He stared at the ring that dangled from the chain in Snape’s fingers. “But I have one last question,” he said, indicating the ring. “Why do you wear it around your neck on a chain if you’re as serious as you say about your relationship? Why isn’t it on your finger? Having second thoughts, are we? Not as into the thought of ‘forever’ as Mr. Black seems to be, since he proposed to you? If you’re having doubts, you should acknowledge them.” 

 

Snape stared at him, then at the ring. This thought had never occurred to him. Did he have doubts about wanting to stay with Sirius? No. No, he didn’t. He could remember with acute clarity just how much it had hurt the other night when he’d thought it was over. He never wanted to feel that way again. But what was this engagement ring except a visible sign that he wanted to be with Sirius Black for the rest of his life? That he was as invested in what they had as his lover was? He’d been prepared to marry Lily Potter if she’d have had him, why was he reluctant to wed the man he loved? 

 

Maybe it was the whole homosexual aspect. Perhaps he didn’t really believe that gay people should get married. An old-fashioned and prejudiced way of thinking, especially considering the fact that he was in a homosexual relationship himself now. The dim light in the hallway flashed off the ring – the ring that Sirius had hand-picked for him. He took a deep breath. “You’re absolutely correct, Mr. Straetharn,” he said coldly. He began to slide the ring off the chain, looking steadily at the rather disconcerted lawyer. “I should acknowledge any doubts I might have about marrying Black. But since I don’t really have any…” he pulled the ring off the chain, lifted his left hand, and slid it neatly onto his ring finger. 

 

Sirius had gotten his ring size exactly, he noted. He turned his hand so that the lawyer could see the ring around his finger clearly. “Thank you very much,” he added, “For helping me to see that I don’t need to have any doubts or uncertainties. I’ll never forget how helpful you were,” he smiled widely at David Straetharn, then he walked away. He had the great urge to whistle as he went, or to cheer. The expression on the blonde lawyer’s face as he’d left would remain with him as a warm memory for a long, long time to come.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius and Snape celebrate their now-official engagement.

Sirius looked up when his lover walked into the room. “You ready to go?” he asked Snape, pulling on his leather jacket. Then: “What is it, Sev?” he asked, for the other man had a peculiar expression on his face. 

In answer, Snape lifted his hand and showed Sirius the ring he was wearing on his finger. Sirius gasped, his breath feeling like it had been knocked clean out of his body. “Sevvv,” he breathed in wonder, meeting those lovely ebony eyes. “Are you sure?” 

Snape nodded, smiling a little at the joy he saw in the grey eyes. Sirius whooped suddenly, striding across the room to pull Snape into his arms. He kissed his lover (now fiancé) eagerly, greedily, letting all of his feelings about this amazing occurrence show through. Snape moaned, lifting his arms to wind them around the tall man’s neck as he returned the kiss. When he finally pulled away, Snape was almost breathless. 

Bemusedly he stared up into his fiancé’s face as Sirius grinned at him. “You’ve made me so happy, Sev,” he said. Then Sirius pulled away to fumble at the front of his own shirt and pull the chain out. He unclasped it as Severus watched, and slid the ring off the chain so that he could put it on his finger instead. He held out his hand admiringly. “Looks good,” he declared, making Snape roll his eyes a bit. “I think that this calls for a celebration,” Sirius went on, grabbing his fiancé’s hand. “Let’s go dancing, Sev.” 

Snape allowed himself to be dragged out of David Straetharn’s offices and to the bike outside. Sirius was as giddy as a little boy, which pleased him. It was nice to make someone he loved so happy by such a simple (but profound) gesture. He clung to Sirius’s tall form as they rode through the streets, loving the feel of the hard muscles under his hands. Once they reached their flat, Sirius drew him into the bedroom to pick out some clothes to go dancing in. The original outfit that Severus had let Sirius talk him into wearing had been joined by a small wardrobe of sexy clothing. Sirius kept bringing them home and begging Snape to try them on, and he found himself too weak to resist. Especially when he saw the look in those grey eyes when he did so, the lust and admiration. 

Sirius rummaged in the closet and came up with a pair of extremely tight black suede pants with silver buttons down the seams, and a deep-red silk shirt with gauzy sleeves. “Try these on,” he said to Severus as he handed the clothes to his fiancé. 

Then he darted back into the closet to pick out his own party outfit, as Snape sighed a little but began to get out of his normal clothes. Sirius was making pleased humming sounds as he pulled a pair of dark-blue pleather pants off the hanger and then grabbed a nearly see-through navy shirt with black accents at the cuffs. He hurriedly undressed himself, taking a moment to admire Snape’s nearly-naked form (his fiancé was now down to his briefs), before paying attention to his own undressing once more. 

He grinned to himself, because Snape always tried to wear under things with the clothing that Sirius had bought him, but he could never manage. He always deliberately bought skin-tight stuff for his gorgeous lover, partially because he loved to see Snape showing off his body, and partially because it amused him to watch the other man try to think of a way to maintain his modesty – and fail every time. He heard an aggrieved sigh behind him, and chuckled very softly. “I swear, Black, could you have bought me anything tighter?” Snape complained.

“No,” he replied promptly. “Because then you wouldn’t be able to wear anything I got for you and still be able to breathe properly.” 

Another disgusted sigh and Sirius turned to see the finished effect. He himself was wearing only the pair of pleather pants at the moment, but he just had to see. And the sight was so scrumptious that it literally took his breath away. Snape’s long legs were encased in that black suede, and it hugged every inch of him. The shirt threw his dark coloring into startling relief, and the gauzy sleeves showed off his arms nicely. “Wow,” he said, practically licking his lips. “You look smashing, Sev. I could just eat you all up,” he added, his eyes darkening.

Severus found it hard to breathe himself as he watched them turn a flint-grey with desire. A shudder passed through Sirius’s tall frame. “I’ll finish getting ready,” he said, turning his back deliberately of the immensely sexy sight before him. “Or we’ll never get out the door. Could you order us some food, Sev? We should eat before we go dancing. We’ll need all the energy we can get for later.”

“All right,” Snape left the room to go and order some take-out food. He knew Sirius’s likes and dislikes pretty well by now. Pulling on the navy-colored shirt, Sirius saw the ring on his finger again. He stopped to admire it, not believing that Snape had actually caved so quickly. He wondered briefly what had made his lover take the ring off its chain and put it on his finger instead. But really, he didn’t care in the least. He’d gotten what he wanted - Severus Snape was going to marry him. There was no happier man in London than Sirius Black right at this moment…or maybe in all of Britain. 

He emerged from the washroom after spending a good deal of his time preening in front of the mirror (he knew he was vain), and wandered down the hall. He found Snape watching the telly in the sitting room, and the black eyes turned his way to give him a dry look. “All done with your primping?” He asked caustically.

“That’s right,” Sirius agreed happily, refusing to be put out by his fiancé’s tone. He was in far too good a mood right now to take acceptation to his personal habits being questioned. “Is the food coming soon?” he asked, for he was starving. 

Snape rolled his eyes. “Yes,” he replied. “I know that you have to eat every few hours or you might get faint, Black.” 

His fiancé chuckled as he strolled over to throw himself down on the couch next to Snape. He threw an arm around Severus’s shoulders, his hand rubbed at the soft silk of the red shirt the other man was wearing. “I don’t suppose you’ve thought about it at all, Sev,” he remarked, “But if we’re to be married we have a wedding to plan. I don’t know anything about them, frankly. Do you?” 

Snape shook his head slowly, his face a picture. It had never really occurred to him that by putting the engagement ring on his finger he was declaring that he wanted to marry Sirius. And that involved a wedding ceremony, as well as so many other peripherals – a reception, flowers, a cake, invitations…he felt overwhelmed just at the thought. 

Seeing his expression, Sirius grinned. “I thought so. So here’s the thing – I think we should get some help from someone who’s gone through this already and knows the ropes. In other words, I think you should recruit Lily to help you plan our wedding.” 

Snape stared at him, and the tall man shrugged. “Why not? She’ll love to do it, Sev, trust me. You just wait until you tell her that we’re getting married. I predict she’ll be so excited that she’ll squeal like a schoolgirl. And if you ask her to help with the preparations, she’ll completely lose it. Women love weddings – anybody’s weddings. She’ll see all of that work as a bit of fun, trust me. All you have to do is ask, and see if I’m not right.” Snape sighed, but he already had to tell his friend about his engagement. It couldn’t hurt to ask her if she would help him plan the wedding, since neither he nor Sirius was capable of doing so properly. They’d just make a hash of it, he was sure of that.

“I’ll tell her tomorrow,” he said aloud. 

“Great,” Sirius jumped to his feet as the doorbell went. “I’ll get it,” he cried, which Snape was happy to let him do. His fiancé had no shame about appearing at the door in his party clothes, but Severus objected strenuously to the delivery man seeing him these suede pants at least. The shirt wasn’t so bad, but these pants were close to obscene… 

Sirius returned, triumphantly bearing white bags full of Chinese food. He plopped back down next to Snape, and tore into the food with enthusiasm. He always ate as though he was coming off of a ten-day fast, but Severus was used to this by now, and ate his own food with more decorum. They finished their supper quickly, and Sirius dragged Snape out the door. He wanted to get to the club and show off his gorgeous, sexy new fiancé to the whole world. He just knew that a lot of people would envy him, both men and women. And they could look all they wanted, as long as they didn’t touch. Nobody got to put their hands on that lovely lanky body except for him.

 

At the club, Sirius made for the bar to get a drink, pulling Severus by the hand. He ordered for both of them, knowing what Severus liked to drink. Snape sat down on a barstool; taking the drink that Sirius turned to hand him. He sipped at it as his fiancé finished off his first shot of tequila in one go. “Hey, Sirius!" a voice called, and the handsome man turned to see a friend of his pushing through the crowd. 

“Hey, Tony!”He replied, brightening up. The swarthy man grinned at his friend (his family was Italian), then waved a hand in greeting at Snape. 

“Hi, Severus. How’s it going?” 

“Fine,” Snape replied coolly. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Tony per se – but the other man was good-looking, charismatic, and gay. Three strikes against him in Snape’s book. Never mind that Sirius had never shown any interest in Tony as anything other than a friend – Severus became the black-eyed monster around people like this.

But fortunately for him, both Sirius and Tony were aware of his jealousy and didn’t let it bother either of them. His fiancé thought it was cute, in point of fact, while Tony merely shrugged it off (And was sometimes faintly jealous that someone loved Sirius Black that much). “I’ve got something to show you, Tony,” Sirius said loudly over the music. 

“What?” Sirius lifted his hand to show his friend the ring on his finger. 

“Sev agreed to marry me!” he yelled, making Snape want to sink through the floor in embarrassment when several people stared at the handsome man. 

“Whoa! That’s great news, Sirius!” Tony replied just as loudly, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Congrats to both of you!” he added, looking at Snape. 

“Thank you,” Severus replied rather stiffly.

Sirius grinned a bit, shaking his head. His Sev was just so adorable! “Come on, Sev, let’s go dance,” Sirius said, grabbing his fiancé’s hand and pulling him off of his barstool. “I have to show you off, don’t I? Everyone here is going to be SO jealous of me,” he added happily, as he waved at Tony in farewell as he took his fiancé onto the dance floor. 

“You are ridiculous, Black,” Snape replied in some asperity as they walked onto the crowded dance floor.

“Maybe I am, but I still say people will be jealous of me. How could they not be? You’re such a fabulous creature, my Sev.” 

The black-eyed man shook his head. “Ridiculous,” he repeated, and Sirius laughed as he set his hands on Snape’s hips and urged the other man to start moving with the music.

 

They reeled out of the dance club at almost two in the morning, Sirius on his cell phone calling a taxi for them both. He wasn’t pissed, but he did have a very pleasant buzz going on. He’d retrieve his bike in the morning. Snape was wavering a little as he stood waiting for Sirius to finish his call. He gave his fiancé a glazed stare when Sirius finally closed his cell phone. “A taxi is on the way, Sev, we just have to wait,” Sirius said.

Snape nodded, and then wished his hadn’t. He had to clutch at his head to keep it from rolling off of his shoulders. “Steady there, love,” Sirius said, putting a hand on his arm to help keep him upright. 

Snape leaned against the muscular form standing next to him, liking the warmth that Sirius’s body put off. He nosed into the navy-blue shirt, making the tall man gasp faintly. “I swear you’ll be the death of me, Sev,” Sirius remarked, even as he put his arm around his fiancé and cuddled the tipsy (and very tired) man close to him. 

There was a bit of a cool wind tonight, and they kept each other warm as they waited for the taxi to arrive. Once they got home to their flat, a bone-weary Snape started slowly down the hall toward their bedroom. Sirius followed at his heels, but as the black-eyed man started to pull off his clothing with fingers that shook, the handsome man gently batted them away and took over. 

Severus was happy to let him do so, for he was about to collapse altogether. When he was stripped naked, Sirius pushed him down on the bed and began to hurriedly take off his own clothing. Pulling off the pleather pants, he tossed them carelessly behind him on the floor and descended atop his fiancé. Snape gasped, his eyes flying open as a warm, hard, nude body pressed down lightly on his. Sirius balanced on his forearms above his fiancé. “Don’t pass out on me completely, Sev,” Sirius coaxed as he began to lay kisses over that elegantly-bony face tenderly. He moved his hips, grinding their groins together, and Snape came awake with a jolt.

His arms lifted to close over Sirius’s back as he was kissed thoroughly. “We still have to finish our celebration,” Sirius said softly when he lifted his mouth away from Severus’s once more. “I can’t wait to show you my party horn,” he added with a salacious wink, making Snape laugh a little in spite of himself.

“Idiot,” he breathed lovingly and Sirius chuckled as he began to kiss his way down his new fiancé’s neck.

“Yes I am,” he agreed muffledly against Snape’s skin. “Just for you, Sev. Just for you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape asks Lily to plan him and Sirius's wedding, which may be a big mistake...

The loud squeal was probably heard by half of London. “Oh, Sev, this is marvelous!” Lily Potter exclaimed, doing something that he’d once dreamed of her doing. She was holding his hand, but she was only doing so to admire the engagement ring that he’d just shown her. And since her husband was sitting right beside her at the table, grinning at his friend Sirius over the news they’d just broken to their friends, it wasn’t as though they were doing anything illicit... 

“It’s beautiful,” she enthused to Sirius. 

“Yes, I know,” he agreed smugly, making Snape roll his eyes, “I’ve got great taste. Proven by my choice of fiancés,” he added with a wink at Severus, which made Lily giggle. “But he’s got great taste, too – look at the ring he picked out just for me,” he extended his own hand so that the redhead could make much over the engagement ring that Snape had chosen for him.

“Way to go, old son,” James remarked to Sirius. “Congratulations to you both.” 

“Thanks, James,” Sirius replied easily. 

“Have you told Rem and Dora about this yet?” James asked. 

“No, not just yet. We wanted to tell you both first, because we have something to ask Lily.”

Green eyes rose from the minute examination of his ring to look questioningly at Sirius’s face instead. “What is it?” she asked. Sirius nodded at Snape, silently telling his fiancé that since Lily was his close friend, this was all up to him. Severus sighed, saying gravely to his friend: “Black and I don’t know that much about weddings,” he began. “So I don’t think we’d be very good at planning ours by ourselves. We were wondering if…” 

“You want me to help you plan your wedding?” The redhead broke in eagerly, her green eyes shining.

James smothered a laugh as Sirius’s face twisted with his own suppressed amusement. “That’s right,” Snape replied. “But only if you wish to, of course.” 

Now even Lily laughed. “Oh, Sev, don’t be silly! Of course I want to! I loved planning my own wedding, and I can’t wait to help you with yours. This will be such fun!” she enthused, which made Snape look rather wary, and sent both of the other men at the table into whoops of laughter. “I don’t see what’s so funny,” she protested as Severus threw Sirius a baffled look.

“Never mind, Darling,” James replied when he recovered himself at last. “I’m just glad that you’ll be able to help them with their wedding. You did such a good job on ours,” he went on proudly, “That they’re lucky to have you.” Lily’s face softened, and she smiled at him. She touched his hand. 

“Shall we tell them out own good news, Darling?” she asked him. 

“Why not? It’s the day for it,” James remarked. 

Turning back to her friends, who were staring at her questioningly, Lily Potter took a deep breath and began: “James and I got some wonderful news recently. I’m going to have a baby.” 

Snape drew in a sharp breath as Sirius exclaimed: “Cheers, James! That’s excellent news, for sure. So you’re going to be a daddy, hmm?” 

James nodded his curly head, beaming with pride. “Yes, and I can’t wait,” he replied, putting an arm around his wife’s waist. “When Lily told me, I actually cheered and did a victory dance around the kitchen. Didn’t I?” he went on, looking at her.

She nodded her own head, her green eyes amused. “That’s right. It was quite silly looking, but I was very glad that he was happy about our news.” 

Sirius started to say something else, but just then he noticed how quiet Snape had gone. And the tense set of his fiancé’s shoulders also caught his attention. He frowned, touching Severus’s arm. “Are you okay, Sev?” he asked softly. 

Snape nodded slightly, but it was clear that he really wasn’t. Sirius turned back to their friends. “I have to use the toilet, I’ll be right back. I’d say order champagne, but you can’t drink now can you?” he said to Lily, who shook her head. 

“That’s right, but it’s no great loss,” she said.

“Yes. Come with me, Sev,” Sirius said, holding out a hand to his fiancé.

Puzzled black eyes rose to his. “Why?” Snape asked.

“Because I need someone to hold my hand,” Sirius replied, making James laugh and Lily giggle.

Snape gave his fiancé a look that said that he now firmly believed that Sirius had lost what little mind he had left. But he continued to hold out his hand, and rather than be embarrassed(which he was sure that Sirius would make him feel if he didn’t comply), Severus set his own in the other man’s and let Sirius draw him to his feet. “We’ll be right back,” the tall man assured their friends as he towed a disgruntled Snape away from the table and into the restaurant (they’d been sitting at a table on the patio outside). He said nothing until they were in the lavatory, then he turned to Severus, who was staring at him as though he expected Sirius to start babbling about alien invasions or voices of dead people talking to him at any moment. 

“Sev,” Sirius began quietly, “Why don’t you tell me how you feel about Lily’s news? You got awfully quiet when she told us she’s going to have a baby. Are you upset?” his keen grey eyes searched Snape’s face intently.

Snape sighed. He could never hide anything for his fiancé, no matter how much he might like to. “I’m happy for them,” he replied. 

“But?” Sirius said, refusing to let the matter drop. 

“But…I spent years dreaming about being her husband, Black. And the father of her children as well. Mind you, I’m not especially fond of children, but I would have tried to be for her sake. I love you,” he added seriously, which made Sirius nod in acceptance, “But when you’ve had a dream for that long, it isn’t easy to just let it go. I’m trying my best, because I do want to marry you. The truth is,” he continued, “That if they got a divorce and she finally wanted to be with me, I’d have to turn her down. Gently, but I would. The only person I want to be with now is you,” he said, which made Sirius go all squishy inside. “This reaction is only a reflex caused by those old feelings. I will get over it, and I’ll be happy for my friend.” 

Sirius smiled. He walked forward and caught his fiancée up in his arms. “My Sev,” he said tenderly, “However did I get so lucky? I’m so happy that you picked me over her,” he added truthfully, which made Snape sigh a little. “Because I adore you.” He swooped down to steal a quick kiss, which made Severus frown awfully at him when he lifted his head again. The programmer did not approve of them making out in a public toilet, even though there was no one else in the room at the moment. Anyone could walk in, after all. It wasn’t as though the door were locked. Sirius pushed him away gently. “I’ll just do my business and be out in a moment,” he said. “I don’t really need you to hold my hand, unless you want to…?” he asked hopefully.

Snape shook his head as he made for the door. “You are a complete idiot, Black,” he said over his shoulder.

“Yes, and that’s what you love best about me!” the other man called after him as he went through the door.

 

Lily was chattering away at Snape about wedding plans when Sirius returned to the table. He grinned slyly at the expression on his fiancé’s face. Severus looked as though he’d been locked in a pit with a man-eating tiger, and was just now becoming aware of that fact. James was sipping his wine, his blue eyes half-shuttered to conceal his amusement. They rose to meet Sirius’s grey ones, and the two friends shared a laughing look at poor Snape’s predicament. He seated himself, greeting everyone cheerfully. The redhead smiled at him. “I was just asking Sev whether he likes roses or orchids better,” she said, which made James give a choked sound from around the rim of his wine glass. 

Sirius’s lips twitched. “I like orchids better myself,” he replied. “What about you, Sev?” he looked at his fiancé, who shot him a harassed look in return that almost sent him rolling on the floor with laughter.

Snape said tensely: “I really don’t have a preference, per se.”

“Oh, come on, Sev!” Sirius protested. “You must have. This is our wedding we’re talking about. This is important.” How he kept a straight face while saying this was a complete mystery to him. 

James’s whole body was shaking now. He had to knock a fork onto the ground and dive after it to conceal his face. Lily set her hand soothingly over Severus’s. “It’s all right, take your time,” she told him. “We don’t have to decide right away.” 

Sirius groaned silently. His ribs hurt, and he thought he was going to die from holding it in. Snape looked like he wanted to jump up from the table and run away. And he had no idea of what was waiting for him in the coming weeks. Sirius himself had never understood how a woman could stand planning a wedding, since there were so many decisions to make, and tasks to carry out. But it was clear from her shining green eyes that Lily Potter thought this whole thing was wonderful and romantic, and that she was going to enjoy herself thoroughly. With no idea that she was tormenting her poor friend Snape…It was evil of him to squirm out of the bulk of the planning, but he was weak and lazy. Plus, this would be so entertaining for him… Of course if Snape lost it altogether he might not want to go through with a wedding after all. Sirius would simply have to be careful about how crazy he let his fiancé be driven over the next few weeks. 

He decided to change the subject to relieve Severus for a bit, so he asked the redhead about her baby to divert her attention to something else. Snape looked grateful, for even confronting his ambiguous feelings about Lily’s pregnancy were better than what had been happening before. Lily’s face glowed. “Well, I’ll be quitting my job soon,” she said to Sirius, “And I’ll be busy redoing the room we’ve chosen for the nursery. I thought I’d ask Dora for help with that part, because I really like Teddy’s room. Of course we won’t know whether it’s a boy or a girl for a few months yet. Oh, and…” she hesitated, “I was going to ask you to be the baby’s godfather, Sev,” she said, looking at her friend, “But since you really don’t like children very much I wasn’t sure…” 

James spoke up then. “I wanted to ask you the same thing, Sirius” he said to his own friend, “I think it would be great if the pair of you would be our baby’s godfathers. Would you?” he looked from Sirius to Snape. 

Snape looked taken aback, but Sirius only grinned. “Of course I’ll be happy to,” he remarked. “It’s really great being Teddy’s godfather. I’d love to do it again. What about you, Sev?” He asked his fiancé.

Severus hesitated, then said slowly: “I’d be glad to as well,” Lily squealed again in joy at his answer, while Sirius surreptitiously patted him on the knee in a comforting gesture. He sighed. It was hard enough to accept the fact that Lily was having another man’s baby, but now he was to be the little creature’s godfather…he grimaced a bit, turning his head to look out at the street as he did so.

“Don’t worry, Sev,” Sirius breathed in his ear, “I’ll be happy to show you the ropes of being a godfather.”

James glances at his watch. “We’ve got to get back to work, love,” he said to Lily.

She looked at her own watch, and then yelped. “Yes! We’ve got to go. It was wonderful seeing you both,” she added to their friends as she and her husband rose to their feet, “And I’ll call you later to talk about wedding plans,” she told Snape, who looked horrified before he could get his face under control. But fortunately for him, she was scooping up her coat and handbag so didn’t see his expression. James did, but he only coughed to conceal another laugh as he took his wife’s arm. 

Sirius grinned at them both. “Congratulations to you both about the baby,” he remarked, “And we’ll be looking forward to your call,” he added to Lily in glee. She nodded as Snape manage a choked farewell to his friend. The two of them strolled away arm-in-arm toward James’s car, leaving a highly amused Sirius and a truly horrified Snape behind them. “Well,” Sirius said briskly, “Shall we have dessert now, Sev? I saw some chocolate cheesecake on the menu that I’d really like to try.” 

Severus blinked as though coming back from some far, dreadful place. “What?” he obviously hadn’t heard what Sirius had said. “I’m ordering dessert,” Sirius repeated. “I’ll order for you,” he added, hiding his grin behind the menu as he waited for his fiancé to recover his equilibrium. He didn’t point out what was going to happen once Dora Lupin knew about their wedding, too; not to mention Lily’s pregnancy. He felt terribly sorry for Snape, but not sorry enough that he wasn’t going to get as much entertainment out of this situation as possible. Snape was just too darling when he got all flustered. He’d only rescue Sev when it was clear that his fiancé had been pushed to his limit, because if he let it go too far Snape might swear off of weddings for life. And Sirius couldn’t allow that; he meant to marry Severus Snape, come hell or high water. Although the hell part would encompass the next few weeks, as their female friends went berserk over plans for their wedding…


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily is driving Snape crazy with wedding plans. And Snape gets his revenge on Sirius for weaseling out of going baby shopping with Lily and Dora.

A/N: Someone ratted me out to Weebly, my website builder, and they banned my fan fiction site because it contains adult material. So if you can't find it anymore, don't be surprised. I'll put the rest of my fan fiction stories up on here instead when I can get access again to the computer that they're stored on, since my friend/roommate had a family emergency and took her laptop with her to Arizona. I'm also going to speed up putting all of my stories from my original slash fic site on here, because someone might report me for that, too, and it'll disappear as well. -DL

“Yes, I’m sure that it will be wonderful, Lily, but I don’t think that Black and I really want a mariachi band to play at our wedding,” the harassed voice of Severus Snape rang through he and Sirius Black’s flat, reaching the ears of the handsome man pumping iron in his gym. Sirius began to laugh so hard that he almost dropped the barbell and crushed himself. He set it in the rack and sat up, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle his guffaws. If Sev heard him he’d be losing his testicles in a violent and bloody manner. 

 

But it was just so hysterical to listen to Snape fielding the ideas that his friends Lily and Dora Lupin had been coming up with for their wedding. The girls seemed to think that Severus was the more interested party, and so they told all of their exciting plans to him. The poor beleaguered programmer had begun to look rather wild-eyed the last few days, especially whenever the phone rang. Sirius had taken to answering it, but it was almost invariably either Lily or Dora. Snape had shown surprising patience with them so far, but that was bound to change. Sirius knew that his fun had to come to an end soon, for he couldn’t allow their female friends to drive his fiancé crazy for much longer. Sev was sure to snap and call off the wedding, perhaps forever. And he couldn’t have that.

 

He rose from his weights bench and walked out into the sitting room. Snape was still talking to Lily, and his face had such a curdled-milk expression on it that Sirius was hard-pressed not to laugh again. But he stiffened his resolve and strode over to Snape. Give me the phone, Sev,” he said, holding out his hand. His surprised fiancé did as he said, and Sirius lifted the receiver to his ear. “Hullo, Lily? It’s Sirius here. Listen, I have to tell you something. Please don’t be offended, I’m sure that all of your ideas for our wedding are marvelous. But frankly neither of us, being blokes, really care that much. If we had our way, we’d get hitched in Las Vegas at a justice-of-the-peace’s and be done with it. So I was wondering if you could simply present the whole thing as a fait accompli – just run a list of the things that we’ll be doing by us at the last mo, as it were. I know that this is a lot of work for you, and we both really appreciate what you’re doing. If you want to stop…” he grinned as her voice protested vociferously at the other end. “All right then. How about we just consider you and Dora as our wedding planners? That way you won’t have to run everything by us, you can just do what you think is best. I’m absolutely sure that you know more about weddings than both of us put together, so it’ll go off without a hitch,” his voice was smooth and charming, and the redhead just lapped his praise up.

 

“Yes, right. Talk to you later, then.” He hung up the phone in a satisfied manner, saying: “Much later,” as he turned to look at Snape. The black-eyed man was staring at him. He smiled. “I’ve got you off the hook, Sev. You were starting to have that expression on your face, the one that tells me you have a migraine. So I’ve rescued you from wedding plans. The girls will simply give us lists just beforehand, and all we have to do is nod, smile, and tell them how brilliant they both are.” 

 

Snape visibly relaxed, sighing as he reached up to rub at his forehead. “Thank you, Black,” he breathed. “I don’t think that I could have taken even one minute longer of listening to endless, ridiculous plans for our wedding. As though I care whether we have a ring bearer or not. I can’t believe that women actually enjoy this kind of thing.” 

 

“Most of them are natural planners,” Sirius noted easily. “They can’t help themselves, they want things to be just so. Now that I’ve rescued you, how do you intend to repay me for my kindness…” he added, leering at his fiancé.

 

A snort, as Snape shook his head. “Is that all you think about, Black?” he demanded. 

 

“Yes,” Sirius replied decisively. “And look at it this way,” he added as he began to walk toward the other man, “It’ll relax you, Sev. Nothing like a good shagging to take your mind off of your problems.” 

 

Later, curled up together in their bed, naked and completely sated, Sirius stroked the short dark hair of the man lying against his body. “See?” he remarked rather hoarsely to Snape. “Didn’t that relax you?”

 

Mellow black eyes opened to look into his. Snape said nothing, but it was clear that he was feeling no stress at the moment. Sirius grinned. Then he sobered a bit, as he continued: “Sev?” The dark eyes looked at him questioningly. “Are you going to invite your parents to our wedding?” Sirius asked gravely.

 

A tensing of the muscles, as the black eyes went half-lidded. It was clear that Snape didn’t want to answer this question. But at last he replied tightly: “No, I am not going to do that, Black.”

 

“Why not?” Sirius asked an unhappy look on his own face.

 

“Because they would not understand why I was marrying another man. They would be angry and hurt, even more so than when I told them about you initially. They both said that I’d eventually get over this phase, whatever it was, and go back to dating women again. I could never convince them that I only want to be with you. I’m afraid that they’d make the wedding awkward, and I don’t want that.”

 

“I see,” Sirius replied sadly. He ran his fingers through his fiancé’s hair once again. “I’ll just have to convince Mum and Dad to adopt you, hmm? They’re ecstatic that we’re getting married.”

 

Snape sighed. “That’s because they’ve known that you were gay since you were all of thirteen, Black,” he pointed out. “This is not a shock to them.”

 

“That’s true. In fact, Mum was so excited when I told her that she was practically dancing. I think that she never believed I’d settle down with anyone.” 

 

“I wonder why,” Severus remarked dryly. “I must be mad to put up with you, Black. No one else would do so for long.” 

 

“That’s what I’ve been saying for ages,” Sirius said equably, as usual refusing to be insulted. “I’m just glad that you ARE mad, Sev. And I hope fervently that you never come back into your right mind,” he bent his head and kissed his fiancé’s lips, and there was no more talk between the two of them for some time to come.

 

 

Snape walked beside his friend Lily through a specialty baby shop, trying not to feel uncomfortable. Now that Sirius had talked to the red head about their wedding plans, she had backed off from asking him about every decision. While this had been a great relief for him, yet another problem had reared its ugly head. Lily had asked him and Dora to come with her when she went shopping for baby items, which was not a pleasant occupation for him. He was trying to resign himself to the fact that she was pregnant by James Potter and not him, but things like this did not help. He should have said no, perhaps, but she’d looked at him so pleadingly that he couldn’t do so. 

 

Dora was sorting through a rack of baby clothes, and calling excitedly to Lily whenever she found something cute. Then they’d both have to go over and admire the outfits. Severus gritted his teeth a bit as he trailed after his eager, excited friend. He knew that she’d called him to go on this shopping trip for two reasons – one, he was to be godfather to her baby, just as Sirius was. And two – most of her female friends, with the exception of Dora, worked during the day. So he had become a substitute for her girlfriends. His wretched fiancé had gotten out of the trip neatly by claiming that he had to take his motorcycle to the garage to get something fixed. Snape hadn’t been able to call him on such an outrageous lie, since he knew nothing about machines(except for computers, of course) and so couldn’t say whether the bike actually needed fixing or not. 

 

But the expression on that handsome face, a faintly smug look, as he was dragged out of their flat by Lily and Dora, told Severus that the wanker had neatly managed to arrange things all his own way once again. He scowled at this thought as Lily paused by a display of cribs. He was going to pay Sirius Black for this if it was the last thing he ever did. But how? He wracked his brains as he watched the redhead exclaim and coo over a white-painted crib with bears stenciled on it. Suddenly an idea blossomed full-fledged in his head, and Snape’s lips lifted in a rather nasty grin. Yes, that was the ticket! And it should work, by God!

 

He spoke to his friend, saying: “Lily, I’m going to talk to Dora about something. You mustn’t come over – it has to do with the baby.”

 

She looked up at him, her green eyes shining. “All right Sev,” she replied. “I promise I’ll stay right here.” 

 

“Good,” he walked away to where Dora Lupin was still going through the rack of baby clothes, his black eyes gleaming. For once he’d be able to get the best of his fiancé, instead of the other way around.

 

Dora looked up at his approach, saying: “Hey, Sev. Having fun?”She teased, for she was smart enough to realize that no man would enjoy himself on a shopping expedition such as this. 

 

“Of course,” he replied, his tone belying his words. She grinned. Severus went on: “Dora, I just wanted to tell you something. As you know, Black really loves children. And he’s very excited about being godfather to Lily’s child as well as Teddy. So he told me today that he intends to help you plan Lily’s baby shower, down to the last detail. Also, he plans to pay for it as well. He wants you to call him later to discuss it. He told me to tell you this away from Lily, since he wants it to be a surprise.”

 

Dora blinked, and then looked satisfied. “That’s just like Sirius,” she remarked. “He’s such a grand bloke. Yes, of course I’ll call him tonight.”

 

Snape nodded, concealing his glee only with an effort. “Great. Black said that he really wants to get hands on, to do everything himself. And I’m sure you can help him with that, Dora.”

 

“Yes, I can. I didn’t plan Teddy’s shower, of course, but I’m sure we’ll be able to work everything out between us.” 

 

“I’m sure that you will,” Snape agreed, mentally rubbing his hands together. He couldn’t wait to see Sirius’s face when he received that phone call from Dora this evening. There was no way that he could deny what Snape had said without hurting his friend’s feelings. This was going to be great fun for him, since he so seldom got the better of Sirius Black.

 

The interminable shopping trip finally ended, and Snape was glad to return home. He walked up the steps to their flat, using his key to open the door. He was a bit tired, but not as frazzled as he might have been. He had a certain phone call to look forward to this evening, after all. He walked into the sitting room, finding a tall wanker ensconced on the couch watching the telly. Sirius looked up as he walked in, and a sly grin flashed across his face. Snape refused to be irritated by that grin, since vengeance would be his shortly. “Hello, Black,” he said coolly.

 

“Hey, Sev. How was your shopping trip?” Sirius asked quasi-innocently. “I’m sorry that I had to miss it,” he added, his grey eyes agleam as he smirked slightly.

 

“Yes, I’m sure you are,” Snape replied dryly. “And it went very well. Lily bought a heap of things for the baby, and I got relegated to muscle to tote it all out to the car.”

 

Sirius laughed. “That sounds about right,” he agreed, stretching.

 

“How is your motorcycle?” Snape asked, giving him a direct stare.

 

The wanker had the temerity to answer: “Oh, better. She’s running like a dream again. Have to keep my baby in good shape.” He added, making Severus want to whack him upside the head. But no…Retribution would be arriving soon… 

 

Sirius was in a great mood, since he thought that he’d won yet again. He ordered dinner, and they spent the evening relaxing. Snape waited patiently for the phone to ring, saying nothing about his conversation with Dora. Finally, as the movie they were watching was ending, they heard the phone shrill down the hall. “I’ll get it,” Sirius said, jumping to his feet.

 

Snape nodded. “You do that,” he said softly, his black eyes full of satisfaction. He sat on the couch and listened to Sirius’s side of the conversation. 

 

“Hey, Dora! How’s everything? Great, I’m glad you guys had a good time shopping today. You want to talk to me about…what? The baby shower? Sev told you WHAT?!” his voice rose, and Snape smiled vindictively. “Oh, he did, did he? I see,” Sirius went on. “You’ll come over tomorrow so that we can start planning the shower together? That’s wonderful. It should be great fun. But I’m relying on you to help me get everything right. I’m afraid I’ve never even been to a baby shower, let alone planned one. Yes, of course. I’ll see you tomorrow, Dora.”

 

He hung up the phone and came back into the sitting room, where Snape was watching the evening news with a straight face. “So,” Sirius’s voice said over his head. “You told Dora that I wanted to plan Lily’s baby shower? Down to the last detail? And that I plan to pay for it as well?” 

 

“That’s right,” Snape agreed without turning his head. “Was that incorrect? Maybe I heard you wrong,” he went on sardonically, finally turning to look up into Sirius’s grey eyes. 

 

Sirius grimaced. “You’re truly evil, Sev,” he replied. 

 

“No more evil than the man who ducked out of a shopping trip by claiming there was something wrong with his motorcycle,” Snape said. “Admit it, Black; there’s nothing wrong with your bike, is there?” 

 

Sirius stared at him, but couldn’t maintain his expression. He grinned finally. “All right, you’ve got me, Sev. There wasn’t anything wrong with her. And I have to admit,” he added, circling the couch, “That you got me back neatly for that little lie. Definitely evil,” he continued, sounding more admiring than anything else. He plopped down next to Snape and put his arm around the other man’s shoulders. He nuzzled his nose into Severus’s short dark hair. “But that’s one of the things I really like about you,” he purred, his other hand sliding down Snape’s leg toward his groin. “So, now that you’ve gotten me back so neatly, shall we go and celebrate your victory, hmm?” his fingers stroked over Snape’s lap, and the black eyed man forgot how to speak coherently. But that was all right – Sirius really didn’t need him to speak anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snape gets his revenge on Sirius...

Snape was pottering around the kitchen of the flat, making himself a sandwich. He had his back deliberately turned to the two people sitting at the table, although he could still hear what they were saying. His shoulders were shaking with silent mirth, as he struggled not to laugh aloud at Sirius’s predicament. He heard Dora’s lively voice say: “And I thought we might have green and yellow balloons, as we don’t know whether it’s to be a boy or a girl yet.”

“That sounds fine,” Black replied easily, and Snape had to nearly bite his own tongue to keep in his amusement. 

He had to say that Sirius managed to put on a nearly flawless act as a man who really cared about this baby shower. Dora Lupin had no idea that her friend gave not two figs for the planning of this event, but it was plain to Snape that his fiancé was bored out of his skull most of the time. His revenge was sweet, Snape mused as he laid a piece of Swiss cheese over the ham on his sandwich. Lily and Dora were still planning their wedding, but after Sirius had talked to Lily they didn’t now run their plans past the two men anymore. So he was free to enjoy himself, while Sirius had to go through long sessions with Dora discussing things like wrapping paper with little storks on it, and non-alcoholic punch. 

Severus would never have believed that his fiancé had this much patience. If it had been him, he would have been contemplating sticking his finger in a light socket by now. Although perhaps Sirius really did enjoy this a bit, since he liked children far more than Snape did. And at the moment, he had a gleefully squealing Teddy bouncing on his knee. So perhaps that was how he found these sessions bearable. 

Snape swiped some mustard atop the cheese and put a leaf of lettuce and some tomato slices over that. Pressing the top piece of bread over the lot, he put his finished sandwich onto a plate and turned around. His fiancé was leaning over to look at some catalogues that Dora had brought with her, his handsome face intent. If he wasn’t having a good time, it was impossible to tell. Snape’s lips twitched as he remarked to the air: “I’ll just leave you both to it. I’m in the middle of a delicate bit of programming.” 

Dora looked up with a smile for him. “We understand, Sev,” she replied. She winked. “Don’t let us keep you,” she said, as Sirius lifted his head to give his fiancé a gleaming look from under his lashes. Teddy grinned at him, displaying a few new baby teeth in his pink gums. 

Snape left the kitchen, making his way to the office. Once inside, he closed the door carefully behind himself. Then he gave in, laughing heartily at his fiancé’s plight. This was the best plan he’d ever come up with, he thought as he set the plate containing his sandwich onto the desktop next to his computer. Black was always gently torturing him; it was nice to get some of his own back for once. He sat down in his chair, picking up the sandwich and taking a hearty bite. To think of Sirius trapped in the kitchen with an excited woman planning a baby shower while he got to work in here in peace made him feel very smug. He’d always vowed to get Sirius Black back for all the things that the wanker had done to him over the last five months; this was a good start, he felt. Pleased with himself, he finished his lunch and settled down to work. 

 

Sirius popped a couple of Tylenol in his mouth and then drank some water. He grimaced, reaching up to rub at his forehead with his free hand. Dora had finally left for the day, and he’d gone straight to the kitchen for some painkillers. A headache throbbed sullenly at his temples. He now understood completely just how harassed Snape must have felt when Lily talked to him about their wedding plans every day. He had to admire his fiancé for coming up with this devious plan, even as he lamented the fact that Severus had gotten the truly evil idea of siccing Dora Lupin on him. He hadn’t known before this – nor had he cared – that there seemed to be about seventy different kinds of baby beds. There were cribs, bassinettes, cradles, you name it…let alone all of the other accessories that seemed to be necessary to keep babies alive during their first year. He knew far more than he’d ever wanted to about pacifiers, teething rings, baby thermometers(and the knowledge of just where THOSE things went when wanted to take the baby’s temperature), baby buggies, etc.

If he didn’t know what something was, Dora was kind enough to explain it to him. In detail. He’d taken to not asking about things he found puzzling, out of sheer self-defense. Sirius sighed, feeling the headache fading a little at last. He rolled his shoulders and decided to go annoy Severus. There was no way that his fiancé was allowed to have a peaceful afternoon without interruptions, when he himself had just had to endure that torture session with Dora. He made his way out of the kitchen and walked toward he closed door of their office, determined to bother Sev until the other man gave up what he was doing and spent some time with Sirius instead. He needed the company of his beloved to help ease the tension and stress of the last few hours. And there was one sure-fire way he could think of that would accomplish that…

His grey eyes gleamed at this thought, and he pushed the door open quietly. Snape was bent over the computer, his fingers flying over the keys. For a moment Sirius just watched the other man, for this was Severus in his element. He loved the energy that Severus Snape put into this almost as much as he loved the energy the other man put into their lovemaking. With that thought in mind…he walked up very carefully behind his fiancé, and put out a hand to lightly touch the back of the vulnerable neck exposed as Snape leaned over the keyboard. He ran his fingers over it, making Snape gasp as he came out of his fugue state at this touch. His head whipped around, and Sirius got a blast of hot ebony for his troubles. He grinned down at the seated man. “All done for the day,” he remarked. “And since I survived the torture, I think that I deserve something for my efforts. What do you say, Sev?” 

A snort, as Snape leaned back in his chair. “Might I point out that I endured just as much from Lily over our wedding? I’m afraid that I don’t feel the least bit sorry for you, Black.” 

Sirius mock-pouted. “You’re mean, Sev,” he remarked, crossing his arms over his chest. “The least you could do is sympathize a little, especially since it’s your fault that I’m going through this.” 

A lifting of a black brow. “And what do you expect me to do? Hold your hand, wipe your brow, etc? I’m afraid I’m not a wet nurse, Black,” Snape pointed out acerbically. 

“True. But there’s one thing you could do to help,” Sirius replied. 

“And what would that be?” the other man asked. 

In answer, Sirius put out a hand and hauled Severus to his feet. Before the programmer could protest, he bent his head and kissed his fiancé deeply. Snape stiffened for a moment, but as Sirius’s tongue glided into his mouth he moaned and softened. His arms lifted to close around the tall man’s neck, and their bodies rubbed together sensually as they snogged. Hands slid down Snape’s back caressingly, then closed over his arse and squeezed the cheeks. The black-eyed man forgot his objections, and just about everything else, as his fiancé rubbed their cocks together sharply.

He found himself being pushed back into his computer chair. He looked up at Sirius, whose grey eyes had gone half-lidded and dark. Then the tall man was kneeling in front of him, and long fingers closed over the fastenings of his trousers. He gasped as Sirius made quick work of the snap and zipper. “Lift up a bit,” the handsome man coaxed, and Snape did so willingly so that his trousers could be pulled off of his hips. 

His underwear went with it, as Sirius cleverly managed to get him out of all of the clothing in the way of the newly-erect cock quivering between Snape’s thighs. Sirius stared down at it hungrily, making Snape moan aloud. Black was gazing at his cock as though it were a particularly juicy bit of steak, practically licking his lips in anticipation. 

When the dark head bent, Severus gripped at the arms of his chair tightly as a tongue flicked out to run lightly over the slick pink head. “Mmm,” Sirius remarked throatily, “I feel better already. Thank you, Sev.”

The programmer couldn’t respond to this, because that insouciant, wicked tongue was tracing down the length of his shaft delicately. Fingers gripped it lightly to hold him in place for this pleasurable assault, and he bit at his lip a little as he stared down at the sight of Sirius Black licking his cock like a contented cat. He pushed his hips up a bit to get more of the wonderful sensation, and Sirius gave him a Cheshire grin before he opened his mouth and engulfed the leaking, twitching erection completely and began to suck.

Snape’s head went back, and cry after cry was torn from his lips as Sirius’s warm, moist mouth pleasured him skillfully. His project was forgotten, along with everything else, as his fiancé went down on him like a fiend. Damn, but Sirius was good at this! He was losing his mind, his breath panting in his chest wildly. Deciding that Sev had had enough, Sirius formed a tight vacuum with his mouth even as he lovingly squeezed the other man’s balls. A loud cry was the response to this, followed by a gush of semen into his waiting mouth. He swallowed it all, feeling much better already. 

He loved doing this to Sev, because the taste and feel of his fiancé’s cock in his mouth made him almost delirious in turn. He withdrew with a last lick at the tip, looking with smug satisfaction into the reddened face of the man sitting in the chair above him. Snape looked boneless and out-of-it. He patted a bare thigh tenderly. “Thanks, Sev that really helped,” he said as he rose to his feet.

But before he could leave the office, hands closed over the front of his jeans. “Where are you going, Black?” growled Snape, even as his fingers got busy with the fastenings of his fiancé’s jeans.

Sirius froze, taking a deep breath as Severus finally managed to get the zipper down. Fingers pulled at the stiff material, freeing him with an effort. Then Snape’s long fingers curled over his cock, which was jerking with excitement as Sirius gasped slightly. “This ought to relax you,” Severus commented, just before he bent his head and kissed the tip of his fiancé’s erection lightly.

“Sevvv,” moaned Sirius, his heads going back a bit as a tongue slid lazily over the head of his cock, then drifted down to snake little circles around the shaft. His fingers reached down to close in short black hair, and he held on for dear life as Snape went to work with a will. His still somewhat awkward attentions were enough to make Sirius feel as though his head were going to explode. It always delighted him when Severus did this for him, and he had to struggle not to snap his hips forward hard and choke his fiancé. 

Snape took in as much of the hard flesh as he could, fighting not to gag. The thighs he was holding onto were starting to quiver, and the fingers tangled in his hair moved restlessly. Saliva coated the cock that stretched his mouth with its width, as he struggled to suck without choking. He used his hand to stroke the length he couldn’t take in, listening to the grunting cries bursting from Sirius’s chest above his head. “Sevvv,” he moaned again, and Snape knew that this was the cue for him to pull his head back and away.

He stroked the hard length once, twice, three times with his hand, and Sirius groaned as he spurted. He shuddered faintly, his legs threatening to buckle as Snape milked him with his hand. “Damn,” he gasped when he could speak coherently again. “That was so good, Sev. I feel MUCH better now.”

Snape leaned back in his chair, looking at the white fluid glistening on his hand. “I’m glad,” he remarked. “But now that you are feeling better, can I get back to what I was doing?” 

Sirius laughed, leaning down to buss him lightly on the mouth. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll leave you to it.” He pulled up his jeans and left the office, as Snape reached for some tissue to wipe his hand off. 

Sirius stood in the hallway, considering changing into work-out clothes and doing a bit of exercise in his gym. But the truth was, Snape’s lovely blow job had mellowed him to the point that he didn’t feel like exerting himself at the moment. So he wandered into the sitting room and threw himself down on the couch, flicking on the telly using the remote. Flipping through the channels, he found a football match that looked promising.

He surged to his feet and went briskly into the kitchen to grab an imported German beer from the fridge and a bag of crisps from the cupboard. He was suddenly starving. He wondered why… He grinned to himself as he went back out into the sitting room. It would behoove him to wheedle his fiancé into helping him ‘relax’ every time that Dora came over with more plans for the baby shower. He knew that if he pleaded and begged enough, Snape would indulge him almost every time. Maybe there was an up side to this torture, he mused as he watched the football game and sipped his beer. If Snape felt sorry for him, he could talk the other man into doing just about anything for him. Ah, the possibilities! Maybe he could finally talk Sev into wearing that little French maid’s outfit that he’d bought and hung in his closet….


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of sexy role-playing for our boys.

“Aww, come on, Sev. Please?” Sirius’s vice was wheedling and begging, and the grey eyes were doing their best ‘little boy’ look. 

 

Snape frowned at his fiancé awfully. “There is no chance whatsoever that I am going to put that on, Black,” he retorted. 

 

Sirius sighed, lowering the cute ruffled little black-and-white outfit that he held in his hands. He looked hang-dog and pitiful, something he could do very well when he wanted to. Severus felt a very slight twinge of guilt, but he ruthlessly suppressed it. There were some things that Sirius Black could talk him into, but wearing a French maid outfit to spice up their love life (as if it wasn’t active enough already!) was not one of them. Sirius sighed in a dejected sort of way. “Very well,” he mumbled. “I guess I’ll just have to be alone in my role-playing efforts.”

 

Snape’s brows drew together in puzzlement. “What do you mean?” he asked.

 

Sirius got an unholy gleam in his eyes that made Snape become very wary. Then his tall fiancé turned and went back into their closet, and Severus could hear the rustling sounds of clothing being removed within. He wondered what on Earth Sirius could be doing in there - and what he’d meant by that role- playing remark. Then the other man emerged from within the closet at last, and Snape’s jaw hit the floor as he gaped in total disbelief at his fiancé. Sirius Black - tall, muscular, masculine Sirius Black - was wearing a white nurse’s outfit complete with cap!

 

He looked completely and utterly ridiculous, since Severus could clearly see his broad chest stretching the front of the outfit tight over the rolling muscles. Long bare legs stuck out under the fairly short skirt (this was not a regulation nurse’s outfit in any way, shape, or form), and the front of it bulged in a way the definitely wasn’t normal on a woman. The starched white cap sat incongruously on his large head. He spread his hands wide to show himself off. “What do you think, Sev?” he asked. “Dead sexy, aren’t I?” 

 

Snape couldn’t contain his laughter. “Sexy is not a word I’d use to describe you right at this moment, Black,” he gasped when he could finally speak. He wiped at his eyes as Sirius contrived to look offended. He crossed his arms over his chest as he pouted, showing off his muscles even more. It was all Severus could do not to go off into another fit of laughter at this sight. 

 

“I just thought to spice up our sex life,” Sirius said. “And what do you do? Laugh at me. I think I’m hurt,” he put on his wounded face, which made another twinge of guilt run through Snape. After all, Sirius had been willing to put on this ridiculous so-called ‘sexy’ outfit to try to tease and tempt Severus, even if that hadn’t been the effect it had had on his fiancé. He shouldn’t have laughed so uproariously, but damn it, that nurse’s outfit looked absolutely bizarre and idiotic on Sirius’s massive frame.

 

“Why in Heaven’s name do you want me to put on a costume that will make me look ludicrous, Black?” He asked helplessly.

 

Sirius put one hand on his hip, a gesture that made Snape nearly bite his lip to contain himself. “Because I don’t happen to think that it would look ridiculous or ludicrous, Sev,” he replied sharply. “I’m sorry that you think so about this,” he added, waving a hand at his outfit. “I’ll take it off. But I just think that the maid’s outfit would be extremely sexy on you, so I just wanted to see you in it. That’s all,” he turned away to go back in the closet, and Snape heard an underlying thread of genuine hurt and anger in his voice. His stomach twisted. Sirius seldom got angry or was hurt by anything he said or did, so whenever he was Severus felt anxious and miserable. 

 

“Wait, Black,” he said. His fiancé stopped and turned to look over his shoulder at Snape. “I’ll…wear it,” he said. 

 

“You don’t have to,” Sirius replied, searching his face intently with those grey eyes. 

 

Snape nodded. “I know that. I want to,” he added, which wasn’t totally true but was close enough. He’d do just about anything to bring back the gleam on those eyes, and a smile to that handsome face. In retrospect, wearing a French maid’s outfit was only a little thing. 

 

Sirius brightened up instantly. “Okay,” he darted into the closet and Snape took a deep breath as he tried to buck himself up for what he was going to do. 

 

He heard cheerful whistling from within the closet, and had to smile a little in spite of his apprehension. Sirius was just like an eager little boy, especially when he got his way. When he emerged from within the closet, he was wearing nothing but a pair of trousers. He carried the maid’s outfit over one arm, holding it out temptingly to Snape. “Here we are, Sev,” he said. 

 

Snape reached out to take the outfit that Sirius handed to him, sighing a bit as he retreated into the lavatory to change his clothes. As he unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off, he marveled yet again at the way that Sirius Black could so easily manipulate him. He knew that it was because he loved the other man so much that he let himself be talked into the schemes that Sirius proposed. That, and the fact that they were generally innocent and/or frivolous ideas, that didn’t cost him anything to go along with them. He knew that Sirius would never try to talk him into doing anything that would hurt or humiliate him. Even this ridiculous maid’s outfit wasn’t humiliating, since they were alone together in the flat, and it wasn’t as though Sirius were going to ask him to walk through Hyde Park wearing it for everyone to see.

 

He'd always secretly enjoyed doing things that made Sirius happy, since it took so little to get him to that state. And he’d always taken such good care of Snape in return, almost from the first moment they’d met. He grimaced as he pulled on the ruffled underskirt, then the little black dress. He strove not to look at himself in the mirror as he tied on the white apron. There were stockings to go along with it, as well as a little frilled cap. He had a great deal of trouble with the stockings, since his legs weren’t shaved. And while he was willing to go to a certain length to please his fiancé, there were some things he just would not do. And that included shaving his legs to make the stockings go on easier. If they got a bit torn, oh well… 

 

Shoving the frilled cap on his head, Snape turned to leave the room. His expression was grim as he walked out into the bedroom. He looked like a man going to the guillotine, resigned to his fate but not at all happy about it. But Sirius wasn’t paying attention to his face at the moment - he was blatantly ogling his fiancé’s body, breathing a little heavily as he took in the full effect. His eyes roamed over long legs encased in black stockings, disappearing under a ruffled white underskirt. The over-skirt on the dress was skimpy at best. The short, belled sleeves showed off white rather muscular arms, and the bust was cut low enough to reveal a good deal of the rather broad chest that he adored. The stupid little cap did look rather ridiculous perched on Snape’s head, but the dress…he could feel himself drooling heavily. He couldn’t wait to rip it back off of his fiancé’s lanky body, and as quickly as possible. That would make both of them happy, since Snape was clearly uncomfortable in the outfit. 

 

“Damn, Sevvv,” he purred as he began to walk toward the other man. His eyes filled up with the familiar darkness that always made Snape’s body react violently, and his smile was sensual. “You look so great, baby,” he continued. “Dead sexy and completely gorgeous. But much as I like this outfit,” he put out his hands to span Snape’s waist, “I think I’ll have to remove it quickly. You’ll like that, won’t you?” he went on, smiling down into the mesmerized ebony eyes. 

 

Snape nodded. He couldn’t wait to shed this preposterous looking outfit, nor could he wait for what would follow once Sirius got it off of him. As nimble fingers went to work on the apron, he stood tamely as Sirius began to strip him. His breathing picked up, and he lifted his arms to help his fiancé slide the black dress up and off him. Then Sirius tossed it away, and pulled Snape into his arms for a long, deep kiss that seemed to go on forever.

 

 

Soft moans and cries echoed through the bedroom. Sirius groaned in counterpoint, lying flat on the bed while Severus straddled him. He looked up into the dazed ebony orbs as Snape swayed over him. He lifted his hands to grab a hold of his fiancé’s, and they held onto one another as his lovely Sev rose and fell on his cock with a slow, sweet surety that was driving them both toward the inevitable conclusion. Panting breaths burst from Snape’s mouth as his head went back. The fact that he was still wearing the black stockings from the maid’s outfit made him look even sexier, like a sex dream come to life. Sirius adored seeing him like this, and it pleased him to his core that his Sev had worn the ridiculous (but amazingly sexy) maid’s outfit just for him. 

 

What man was luckier than he was? He vowed distantly to never lose sight of that fact, and to cherish this wonderful man for the rest of his days. But this, and any other train of thought, dribbled away as those clasping internal muscles tightened even more. Sirius cried out, surging upward, and then he was coming forcefully. His seed spilled into Snape’s body, even as the ebony-eyed man gasped and dropped his own hand between his thighs so that he could jack himself off. His face twisted with pleasure, and Sirius moaned a little under him. Watching Severus come was one of his great pleasures in life. He liked the fact that he had a clear view of the long-fingered hand moving over a reddened cock forcefully, and that he could also see the way the black eyes went distant and misty as Snape was drawn up to orgasm by his own hand. 

 

With a last loud cry, Snape came with a shudder. His semen splashed out over Sirius’s chest and stomach, striping the skin as the handsome man groaned in sated pleasure at the show he’d just witnessed. Severus slumped over him, black head hanging, his chest heaving with his rapid breathing. Sweat sheened his skin, and he was just the most beautiful thing that Sirius Black had ever seen. His hands rose to stroke over his fiancé’s flanks tenderly. “You see, Sev?” he remarked after a few minutes of contented silence. “Sometimes role-playing CAN really spice up one’s sex life.”

 

Ebony eyes opened to stare languidly down at him. Snape said nothing in answer to this comment, which told Sirius that he agreed but wasn’t going to say so aloud. He fought back a smirk as he patted one of Snape’s thighs. “Let’s go and take a shower together,” he said.

 

Snape was amenable to that idea. They took turns washing each other’s backs, and somewhere in the middle Sirius pushed Snape back against the tile and very carefully ‘washed’ a certain sensitive portion of his anatomy with his tongue. Afterward, refreshed and clean, Sirius wandered into their office to play about on their computer for awhile. Snape was in the kitchen, pottering around making tea and breaking out a packet of biscuits for them to eat. As he flung himself down in the office chair, Sirius laughed a bit to think about how well Snape had taken to a life of leisure. He wondered if his fiancé would feel a certain amount of regret when they finally had to start working for a living again. He knew he would – he was inherently lazy, after all, and he really enjoyed living life on his own schedule rather than someone else’s. Having sex with Sev in the afternoon was a far better preoccupation than slaving away at a computer. Much as he enjoyed working with computers, it just wasn’t the same thing… 

 

He grinned to himself as he opened the new video game he was playing. He’d received a disapproving look the first time that Snape had realized just what it was that he did when he came into the office to ‘work’ on the computer. But that hadn’t deterred Sirius from one of his many pleasures, for while he wasn’t a gaming freak he really enjoyed playing video games for a few hours a day. This one was a role-playing fantasy game, and Sirius was the Grand High Wizard of Tharkhal. But while this role-playing was fun and satisfying, it couldn’t compete with that little bit of role-playing that had just taken place in their bedroom.

 

He got into what he was doing, so he didn’t hear Snape enter the office. The ebony-eyed man frowned a bit when he saw what Sirius was doing, but shrugged to himself. The man would do what he wanted, and this was a harmless if frivolous waste of his time. He left as quietly as he’d come, thinking that he’d rouse Sirius out of his video game trance in a bit. The phone rang and he went to answer it. It was Lily’s laughing voice on the other end. “Hullo, Sev. I just wanted to tell you that Dora and I have found the perfect church for you two to get married in. It’s lovely, right out in the country. If that’s okay with you?” she added.

 

“Whatever you plan is fine by us,” Snape replied. 

 

“All right then. I won’t ask you anything else,” her voice was amused. “And I won’t ask about the ‘secret’ baby shower that Dora and Sirius are planning for me. Don’t ask how I know,” she continued as he blinked in surprise, “But how is that going, anyway?” 

 

He hesitated, and then decided to tell her the truth. “Very well, all things considered. Black is surprisingly patient about the whole thing, considering the fact that I roped him into the planning.” 

 

“Huh? What do you mean?” she asked curiously. He told her about his revenge on Sirius, and she laughed so hard that she became breathless. 

 

“Oh, oh, Sev, that’s hysterical!” she gasped when she could speak again. “You’re absolutely terrible. You couldn’t have picked a crueler way to get your vengeance,” she added. “As I don’t think any man would wish to plan a baby shower if they could avoid it. Poor Sirius,” but she sounded more amused than chiding, and he smiled slightly.

 

“Well, I had no choice,” he replied. “He’s always finding ways to get what he wants and weasel out of things. I had to fight back, or he’d just continue to walk all over me.” 

 

“Too true,” she agreed in amusement. “You mustn’t ever let your significant other get the upper hand. Much as I love James, he can get out of hand too if I don’t occasionally put my foot down.” 

 

They talked for a bit longer, and then she rang off with a promise to call him again about wedding plans for at least a week. He went back into the kitchen to finish making their tea, and took the tray into the office to make Sirius come out of his game haze for a bit.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus Snape is in Hell...

Severus Snape was in Hell. It wasn’t what he’d always imagined it would be – there was no brimstone, no eternal burning fires, and no suffering, damned souls. Instead, Hell consisted of bunches of yellow and green balloons, piles of gifts covered in paper with tiny storks and rattles on it, and a large group of chattering, laughing women talking about all kinds of horrors. In point of fact, that little clutch over there was talking about breast feeding, and pumps, and sore nipples…Ahh!!! He was sure he’d never be able to escape from Purgatory; that he’d be here forever. That was what happened to those condemned to Hell. They suffered forever… 

 

This was all Sirius’s doing. He and Dora had finished planning the baby shower for Lily, and then his fiancé had punished him thoroughly for his own suffering, by convincing Lily and Dora that Severus really wanted to attend the shower with him. That he was really excited, and looking forward to being the baby’s godfather. He couldn’t hurt the two women’s feelings by denying this claim, so here he was. He’d been dragged to the shower by a smirking Sirius Black, who was even now over gossiping with a small group of women nearby. He at least looked relaxed and as though he belonged here, and was clearly charming all of the ladies.

 

Snape, on the other hand, was trapped on one of the sofas, surrounded by women talking about the most hideous things, wondering if his head was going to explode at any moment from the headache throbbing in it. He sipped desperately at the non-alcoholic punch in his glass, so that he wouldn’t have to get in on this conversation. 

 

His misery was clear to Sirius, who fought back a chuckle as he listened to Dora and Lily discussing decorations for the baby’s room. The redhead was finally beginning to show, her belly a gentle bump at the front of her floral dress. She looked radiant, and even more lovely than usual. Sirius mused to himself that this was one of the few things he was missing out on as a gay man. Although he wouldn’t change his sexuality (or his lover) for the world, the fact that he and Sev couldn’t have a child together rather saddened him. Not that he’d ever try to badger his fiancé into adopting – he knew Snape too well. The other man genuinely disliked children, and the expression on his face whenever he was around Teddy was comical. Especially when he had to hold the child for any reason. And since he adored his Sev, he had to resign himself to the fact that he was never going to be a father. Ahh, well…at least he could be godfather to any of the children that Dora and Lily had, could spoil and play with them to his heart’s content. 

 

He glanced at Snape, who had a pinched look on his face that told Sirius that he was suffering from a migraine. He felt sorry for his fiancé, but that didn’t mean that he was going to rescue Severus anytime soon. His fiancé had gotten him into this situation by telling Dora that he wanted to plan and pay for this shower, so he didn’t feel too bad about making Sev suffer, for a bit longer, in retaliation. He’d give his fiancé a thorough massage tonight to relieve his pain, but for now he just enjoyed knowing that Snape would rather be anywhere but here.

 

He snickered into his punch as a woman began to chatter intently to Severus, whose face puckered up even more, until he looked like he might be constipated. “What’s so funny, Sirius?” Lily asked him, her green eyes curious.

 

He contrived to look innocent, an expression he could carry off well when he wanted to. “Oh, nothing,” he replied. “I’m having a great time, Lily.” He said truthfully.

 

Her eyes cut over to the sofa where Severus was sitting. “Yes, but Sev clearly isn’t,” she eyed him. “You’re terrible, Sirius,” she said sternly to him, although her eyes were twinkling a bit. “Dragging poor Sev here, and leaving him to suffer. He looks as though he’s sucking lemons.”

 

Sirius guffawed. “He does, doesn’t he?” he said when he could speak again. He winked at her, making Lily shake her head. 

 

“Awful man. It’s a wonder that Sev puts up with you.”

 

“I know,” he agreed amiably. “I’m just lucky that way.”

 

She laughed in spite of herself. “Terrible,” she commented, giving up. 

 

He shrugged charmingly, grinning down at her. “Well, I think I’ll go rescue poor Sev before he goes nuclear,” Lily went on, moving away across the room to save her friend. 

 

Sirius wandered over to talk to Dora, leaving Lily to extricate his fiancé from the chattering group of women who’d corralled him. His friend was talking to Lily’s cousin, but she greeted him cheerfully as he came up to them. “It’s going smashingly, don’t you think, Sirius?” she asked him. 

 

He nodded. “Yes, definitely. And Lily’s having a great time, which is all that’s important.” 

 

“I feel sorry for the boys, having to sit in a dingy pub and drink, while we do this,” Dora said, her mouth twitching.

 

Sirius chuffed into his punch, thinking about how James and Remus had neatly gotten out of attending the shower. They’d both commiserated with the fact that he had to actually come to this ‘hen party’, but the truth was that Sirius wasn’t finding it onerous at all. Unlike his poor fiancé. 

 

He glanced over to see that Lily had kindly drawn Snape away from the sofa, and was leading him away toward the sideboard, where the cake and punch bowl were located. There was such a look of acute relief on Sev’s face, that Sirius wanted to laugh again. But he shouldn’t take such glee in his beloved’s torture, he pointed out to himself silently. So he said to Dora with a straight face: “Yes, James and Rem are going to regret missing this later. I’m sure of it.” 

 

She snorted. “Of course. We should start the games soon,” she went on. “Are you going to participate, Sirius? I’m sure you’d love to win the silver rattle or the cute white-ruffled bassinette.” 

 

He grinned. “Why not? Since I paid for all this, I should at least try to recoup some of my money, eh?”

 

She shook her spiky head in amusement. “I’m not even going to ask what you’d do with either of those items if you owned them,” she replied with a gamin grin. “Come on, then, let’s gather the girls together so we can start the games.”

 

 

Severus had never been happier to see Lily, and when she appeared to draw him away from the sofa he could have kissed her right there. “Come on, Sev, let’s go get more punch,” she remarked, leading him away toward the sideboard. “You look like you could use something to drink.” 

 

“I could, yes,” he agreed sotto voce. “Have you got any scotch?”

 

She laughed softly at his remark as they reached the sideboard. “I presume that Dora has some somewhere in the house, I could ask her.”

 

“Never mind,” he replied, waving this suggestion away. “I’ll survive. Especially now that the heroic maiden has rescued me from peril.” 

 

Lily burst into laughter, her green eyes sparkling. “Oh, Sev, you are a stitch! Still, I’d like to thank you for coming to this shower, since I can tell that you’re miserable being here. Sirius made you come, didn’t he?” she asked shrewdly.

 

He shook his head. “Not ‘made’, exactly, he just manipulated me into coming. As revenge for my telling Dora that he meant to plan and pay for the shower.”

 

Lily gasped with laughter at this admission. “He’s awful, isn’t he?” she said admiringly. “I’ll tell you, Sev, if he wasn’t gay…” 

 

He eyed her morosely. “Everyone says that, women and gay men alike. I do get tired of it, I can tell you. It’s not easy to watch other people throw themselves on my fiancé all the time.” 

 

She sobered at his words. “Oh, Sev,” she breathed, touching his arm, “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m sorry.” 

 

He made a negative gesture with his head. “It’s all right. I’ve grown used to it, even if I still don’t like it at all. People will always look at him admiringly, it can’t be helped. As long as he still wants to be with me and not someone else, I can handle it.”

 

She patted his arm. “That’s a good attitude to have, Sev. I’m afraid that I’m not nearly as accepting when other women look at James. I just want to scratch their eyes out, I swear.” She grinned, curling her fingers into claws. He found himself smiling faintly in return. It wasn’t that long ago that a joke like that would have made his guts tighten, because he didn’t even like to think about her husband. But now he could respond without a qualm, because his heart was irrevocably given over to the tall, handsome wanker standing next to Dora Lupin. 

 

Dora clapped her hands and called to the room in general: “Come on, ladies, its time for the games!” Everyone got up to go over to where Dora and Sirius were standing. Seeing that Lily wanted to go too(even though she wouldn’t be playing the games herself), Severus waved a hand at her. “I’ll be all right by myself,” he told her, and she grinned before she hurried over to watch the games. Severus leaned back against the sideboard a bit, sipping from his refilled punch cup as he watched from a distance. 

 

There was one that was a quiz game, but the questions all had to do with babies and child care. He grimaced, glad that he could remain here while this went on. He knew nothing about babies or child-rearing, nor did he want to know. He could only hope that this didn’t go on for much longer, so that he could go home and soak in a hot bath, and then lay down. His head was still pounding, and he reached up with his free hand to rub at it. 

 

Sirius happened to look up at that moment, and he felt a shaft of concern go through him when he saw how drawn Sev looked. It was about time to take his fiancé home, he thought to himself. He leaned forward and spoke loudly to be heard over the chatter: “This has been great fun, ladies, but I’m afraid that Sev and I have to be going now.” 

 

There were exclamations of regret from all sides, but he lifted his shoulders in a rueful shrug. “I think that Sev’s not feeling too well right now,” he went on, making many sets of eyes turn Snape’s way. The other man looked startled by all the attention, clearly wondering why everyone was looking at him. “I can always tell when he has a migraine,” Sirius said to them all. “Because of the way he purses his mouth and kind of squints. I think I have to drag him home and make him lay down in a dark room.” 

 

All of the assembled women made various noises of worry, and assured Sirius that he should, indeed, take Snape home and tend to him. He grinned at them all, rising to his feet. "It really has been fun,” he said, meaning it. “I’ll see you and Dora later, Lily,” he added to the guest of honor.

 

She nodded, waving a hand at him. “By all means, take Sev home before he falls over,” she remarked. 

 

He left the group and strode over to Snape, who gave him a wary glance. He took his fiancé’s arm. Come on, Sev, we’re off,” he said. 

 

Surprise flashed over Severus’s face. “You don’t want to stay for the rest of the shower?” he asked as he set his cup down on the sideboard.

 

“No. I can see that you have a headache, so I’m taking you home to pamper you.” 

 

Relief washed over Severus’s face, and he looked like he was going to ooze to the floor completely. Sirius grinned as he caught a hold of his fiancé‘s arm. “Come along, then, Sev,” he said tenderly, leading the other man away toward the hall to collect their coats. There was a chorus of good-byes from the sitting room as they left together. 

 

Snape, having been rescued from Hell, felt more than a bit better on the ride back to their flat. He was grateful to Sirius for letting him off the hook, even if it had been because of his fiancé that he’d been on it in the first place. He rested his helmeted head against Sirius’s back as they drove through the streets of London, feeling the pain in his head subsiding somewhat. 

 

When they arrived home, Sirius left his bike in the street for the moment while he escorted Severus up to their flat. His fiancé gave him a black-eyed look for such stupidity, acting as though he were a small child or an invalid. Sirius deposited him in the sitting room, and went to put his beloved bike in the garage next to the house where their flat was. He never left her out, lest she be stolen or damaged. That bike was the first love of his life, and Severus had had to accept the fact that he had to fight for Sirius Black’s affections with an inanimate hunk of steel.

 

He sat down on the sofa, resting against the back as he closed his eyes. He heard Sirius return, then the other man went into the kitchen. When he returned, Severus found a glass of water and some pills shoved into his hands. “Take those,” his fiancé directed him. He was happy to comply, gulping the painkillers down gratefully. Then he moaned loudly, for strong fingers had closed over his head and were gently massaging his scalp. He went limp, the glass nearly falling from his nerveless fingers, as Sirius continued to rub his pounding head very carefully. The ache began to fade a bit under those talented fingers, and he loved Sirius Black more in this moment than he ever had before. 

 

“Oh, Black,” he moaned, and Sirius felt his groin tighten treacherously at the pleasure in that sound. His fiancé sounded just like he did when they were having sex. He had to fight back a groan of his own, as he continued with the scalp massage. He rubbed behind Snape’s ears, opening the canals behind them so that his sinuses would drain. Then he moved on to the temples, rubbing in slow circles, as Severus’s head went back as his neck gave out. 

 

He was a limp oozing mass on the sofa as Sirius’s strong fingers began to massage his forehead. His eyes were closed, and all of the tension had drained out of his muscles. Sirius liked reducing him to this, especially when he knew that he was easing his fiancé’s pain at the same time. He massaged down over Snape’s sinuses and cheeks, and the other man made small sounds in the back of his throat that had a very bad effect on Sirius’s groin. He very much doubted that he’d be letting Snape take a nap once he got his fiancé into the bedroom, although there were other ways besides sleeping to ease pain…like endorphin release. Sirius grinned rather evilly at this thought, vowing to drag Snape off as soon as possible to test that theory.


End file.
